MANILA - The Filipino workforce in Saudi Arabia has become more diversified over the last several years as more opportunities open up for foreign workers, according to the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh.

Based on data from the Saudi Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, there are currently 898,014 Filipino workers in the Kingdom, making it the sixth-largest expatriate community there.

In a media interview at the embassy, Philippine Consul Dean Jason Arriola said that while many Overseas Filipino Workers still serve as domestic helpers, the number of those working in the private sector are also growing.

“So from many years ago where majority of the OFWs were household service workers, that’s no longer the case. The other half are professionals and workers in other service-oriented industries… In almost every storefront, may Pilipino across the counter serving you,” he said.

Arriola said this development comes even as the Saudi government pursues its so-called Saudization policy, which imposes a certain quota on private companies in terms of the hiring of Saudi nationals.

“The government is trying to reduce dependence on foreign labor in some positions, in some sectors. For example, business process outsourcing… But I think while the Saudis are still learning how to become experts in certain positions in various fields, I think they will still need foreign labor to back them up,” said Arriola.

Another fairly recent development: foreign nationals may now also put up their own business as Saudi Arabia works to diversify its economy and reduce its reliance on oil.

Melany Marasigan Hajjar has been working as a nurse in Riyadh for 27 years now. In 2022, she also started running an authentic Filipino restaurant called Kuy’s, which means brother in Tagalog slang.

She was also invited to put up a booth during the Philippine Week festivities in Suwaidi Park in celebration of Riyadh Season and the Saudi Ministry of Media’s Global Harmony Initiative.

“27 years ako dito sa yung transition nakita ko from very strict hanggang sa open na. Dati, wala, talagang eto lang yung work mo. Work-home, work-home, tapos yung activities before very limited… Paunti-unti, nao-open yung culture nila at tsaka sa business opportunities,” said Hajjar.

DIGITAL LABOR RECRUITMENT PROCESS

Better employment regulations are also seen as a reason why many Filipinos prefer to work in Saudi Arabia.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, Saudi Arabia remained as the top destination of choice for OFWs in 2023.

To make the labor recruitment process easier for stakeholders, the Saudi MHRSD said it has made their system completely digital— from job matching, work VISA processing, to monitoring of contract compliance.

The agency said this has resulted in less labor labor disputes and complaints.

“Before we issue the VISA in the first place, we examine the eligibility of this employer to obtain a service of domestic support— their income, the eligibility in terms of housing, in terms of number of families. We also cross exam the genders, to make sure we are reducing the possibility or the likelihood of abuse or any dispute down the road,” said Wafi Asiri, the Strategic Partnerships Director of the Musaned online platform.

“After workers arrived in Saudi Arabia, the platform will provide the necessary tools for the Ministry of Human Resource and Social Development to monitor their wages, make sure they receive it in full, on time, without any disruptions,” he added.

The MHRSD said it is now also mandatory to provide health insurance to foreign workers.

For the Philippine Embassy, the opening up of the Saudi society is a big plus as it also helps improve the living and working conditions of Filipinos in the Arab nation.

But ultimately, it says the goal of the Philippine government is still to create more opportunities back home so that Filipinos will no longer need to go abrod and leave their families behind just to gain employment.

“So that Filipinos will only have to consider going overseas as a choice rather than as a necessity… We do have to face the reality that a lot of our kababayans still want to go overseas. That’s why we have all these mechanisms in place to ensure the proper deployment of our workers and the establishment of the Department of Migrant Workers has been a core feature of that,” said Arriola.

Meanwhile, Arriola noted that the Filipino community feels safe in Saudi Arabia despite the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, particularly in Israel, Gaza, and Lebanon.

“In general, I don’t get any sense that people here are feeling that the conflict might spill over or that the conflict would escalate to a point where the Saudis would actually get involved,” he said.