Labor Secretary Marianito Roque reported in a news release that the overseas Filipino (OFW) quota for jobs required in South Korea is now 7,100 versus last year's 5,700 - according to an article in the Inquirer.
The article goes on to say that a total of 6,445 Filipinos took the Korean Language Test (KLT) in various testing centers nationwide, a requirement by South Korean government for hiring. He said the examinations conducted in Manila, Pampanga, Baguio, Cebu, and Davao by the Korean Human Resources Department went smoothly, with no reported negative or unfavorable incident.
Roque said 3,344 examinees took the KLT in Manila, 2,076 took it in Pampanga, 554 in Baguio City, 310 in Cebu, and 161 in Davao.
The labor chief said hiring resumed only recently after South Korea strictly enforced the requirement that prospective OFWs take and pass the country’s language proficiency test.
He reiterated that many Korean employers still prefer Filipino workers, adding that a second KLT will be given around the fourth quarter of the year.
He said that under the Employment Permit System (EPS) of Korea, foreign workers earn an average of $1,000 a month.
In a related development, Roque said preparations are on for the signing of an implementing arrangement for the implementation of Korea’s Returnee Support Program for OFWs.
Roque said this program is patterned after the National Reintegration Program of the Philippines in which returning OFWs are given a chance to smoothly join the mainstream of society with assistance to training and livelihood programs.
He said Korea’s Returnee Support Program has two components; technical training onsite, usually on Sundays, for business or employment, and job referral to RP-based Korean companies (for returning workers).
Roque said that last year, as an enhancement of its assistance program for foreign workers, the HRD established caring centers nationwide to provide temporary shelter, food, and counseling to workers who have been let go and are looking for new jobs.
To address the language issue, Roque said Korea’s HRD likewise launched last year the three-way phone conference where the worker can talk to his employer through an interpreter.
