THE Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) will sign an agreement with Japan that will expand Tokyo’s intake of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) with specialized skills.
In an interview with BusinessWorld last week, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) Officer-in-Charge for Pre-Employment Services Levinson C. Alcantara said that the labor department is currently discussing with the Japanese government an agreement that will allow a “specialized skills category visa” to OFWs.
“The Secretary (Silvestre H. Bello III) is leading the negotiations on the Memorandum of Cooperation that will implement the law that was passed by the Japanese government regarding a specified skills category visa for incoming foreign workers,” Mr. Alcantara said.
The Japanese Diet passed a new immigration policy last December that will offer new visa categories for foreign workers, one of which is meant for workers with skills in 14 industries.
The DoLE is projected to finalize the agreement before the start of Japan’s fiscal year in April.
“It’s already a law for them and it’s going to be implemented by April. We are bent to finish a Memorandum of Operations before April,” he said.
Mr. Alcantara said that the DoLE and POEA are studying potential Japanese demand for OFWs in the industries specified under the law.
“We are very careful in looking at the standards of employment that our Filipino workers will be entering so we don’t have a race to the bottom. Instead, there will be a level playing field on the salary that Japanese nationals receive and we are negotiating for the same package for Filipino workers,” he said.
The 14 categories of specialized labor are: care workers; building management; machine parts and tooling; industrial machinery; electric, electronics, and information; construction; ship building and ship machinery; automobile repair and maintenance; aviation; accommodations; agriculture; fisheries and aquaculture; food and beverage manufacturing; and food service. — Gillian M. Cortez
