Saudi eyes hiring of more Pinoys

SAUDI Arabia has expressed interest in hiring more Filipinos to support and achieve a steady growth rate in line with its Vision 2030, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said yesterday.

PCO said Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Salman has “signified his desire to hire more Filipino workers, whom he described as the best in the world,” to President Marcos Jr. during their talks on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations-Gulf Cooperation Council (ASEAN-GCC) last week.

The PCO said the Crown Prince said “the Kingdom needs a large workforce” as he also mentioned his country’s need to raise its population to at least 60 million from the current 20 million. Some 14 million comprise the Saudi workforce.

Marcos, in response, expressed the Philippines’ willingness to assist Saudi Arabia in supplying skilled workers and professionals.

Marcos, during a media interview before he returned to Manila on Saturday, said the Crown Prince mentioned that Saudi is interested in increasing their contract laborers, help, and professional skilled workers, among others, especially as they are developing many projects.

The Philippine Statistics Authority said as of end 2022, about 23 percent of the 1.96 million Filipinos working abroad are in Saudi Arabia.

PCO said the Crown Prince also told the President that the payment for the benefits of Filipino workers who previously worked for Saudi companies that went bankrupt is still under process and that the Kingdom is working on the details. He said his government has already set aside initial funding for their benefits.

The President also met with Kuwaiti Crown Prince Sheikh Meshal, and the two “reaffirmed their commitment to work together to resolve outstanding issues.”

PCO also said Marcos the Prince’s openness and efforts he exerted to restart negotiations to normalize Philippine-Kuwait ties.

The PCO said the Philippines and Kuwait’s foreign ministers are set to meet soon and would focus on the President’s call for “guaranteeing the welfare and protecting the rights of Filipino workers abroad.”

Marcos has said Sheikh Meshal apologized and told him not to mind Kuwaiti officials whose