47,000 Filipinos will lose job opportunities in Kuwait

Philippines government official Hans Cacdac, Administrator, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration revealed that about 47,000 job opportunities for female workers from the Philippines will be lost due to suspension of sending Filipino workers to Kuwait.

Joanna Conception head of the organization stated that “According to data from the Philippine Department of Migrant Labor, there were 24,000 cases of abuse against Filipinos and Filipinas in Kuwait during the year 2022, which was the number of 6,500 in 2016,”

Hans Cacdac stated “First-time OFWs are the most vulnerable or likely to experience difficulty in adjusting in Kuwait. That’s why we are looking after their welfare very carefully”.

Meanwhile, Chargé d’Affaires at the Embassy of the Philippines Jose Cabrera III on Thursday discussed the decision of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) in the Philippines to suspend the deployment of first time Filipino household workers to Kuwait with Assistant Foreign Minister for Asia Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Sameeh Essa Johar Hayat.

This came after DMW issued Advisory Number Five on the suspension of the recruitment of household workers from the Philippines on Wednesday. Hayat expressed disappointment over the decision, while affirming that the Kuwaiti government is keen on resolving the issue immediately.

Meanwhile, Cabrera explained that the decision covers only the Filipino domestic workers who will be deployed to Kuwait for the first time. He confirmed that DMW is currently studying reforms and measures to strengthen mechanisms to protect the welfare of domestic workers and ensure their safety, particularly those working in Kuwait for the first time.