Job-seekers queue at a job fair in Quezon City on Nov. 8, 2022. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News/File
MANILA — Overseas employers look at "soft skills" when considering potential hires, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said on Thursday.
Aside from an applicant's work experience and qualifications, overseas employers consider work ethics or traits that have to do with empathy, creativity, resilience and communication, Migrant Workers Undersecretary Bernard Olalia said.
"Iyong mga ganiyang kuwalipikasyon – iyong mga work experience, iyong work ethics at soft skills na tinatawag, iyong kumbaga ikaw ay okay na matuto, willing to learn at dedicated ka sa trabaho mo – ito po iyong mga soft skills na tinatawag natin na hinahanap din ng mga foreigners," Olalia said in a public briefing.
(These qualifications -- work experience and ethics, as well as so-called soft skills like willingness to learn and dedication work -- these are what foreigners are looking for.)
Foreign employers also recognize the country's National Certification System from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) when hiring skilled or semi-skilled workers, he said.
The DMW's Labor Day job fair earlier this week offered some 12,500 job openings abroad. Around 30 licensed recruitment agencies and 4 manning agencies participated in the event, the official said.
Some 3,000 job seekers are up for interview, he added.
Many of the employment opportunities were available in Europe and the Middle East in the health and construction sectors, Olalia said.
"Ang Europa naghahanap po ng iba’t ibang mga skills iyan tulad po sa manufacturing industries, sa construction industry, tourism industry at iyong healthcare industry na maraming mga foreign companies ang nangangailangan ng iba’t ibang mga—nurses for example at saka mga caregivers," he said.
(Europe is looking for various skills for the manufacturing, construction, and healthcare industries. Many foreign companies need nurses and caregivers.)
A recent report by the Commission on Human Rights flagged fresh graduates' lack of soft skills, causing alarm among some lawmakers.
The DMW is planning another career fair on Independence Day, June 12.
Video from PTV