Riyadh: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) announced the resumption of the recruitment of Filipino workers to the Kingdom, including domestic workers, starting Monday, November 7.
The Minister of Human Resources and Social Development in Saudi Arabia, Ahmed bin Suleiman Al-Rajhi, signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Minister of Migrant Workers in the Philippines, Susan Ople, on the resumption of sending Filipino workers, including domestic workers.
The memorandum comes as a continuation of the bilateral and historical relations between Saudi Arabia and the Philippines, and an extension of the permanent cooperation between the two countries in many economic aspects.
On Tuesday, September 13, Ahmed bin Suleiman Al-Rajhi took to Twitter and wrote, “During my meeting with the Philippine Minister of Migrant Workers, Mrs Susan Ople, during her visit to the Kingdom, we stressed the importance of strengthening bilateral relations and common interests between our two countries, as well as signing a memorandum of cooperation to resume the recruitment of Filipino workers to the Kingdom, including domestic workers, starting on November 7.”
The vision of the two ministries in the two countries “agreed to protect the human rights aspects of workers, whose development in the Saudi labour market was praised by the Filipino side, in contrast to the initiatives and radical reforms that the market witnessed.”
In 2021, the Philippine Department of Labour decided to stop sending domestic workers to the Kingdom, based on its announcement of new amendments and controls regarding contractual relationships in the next stage.
More than 700,000 Filipinos work in Saudi Arabia, many of them in construction, home service or nursing.
It is reported that remittances from Filipinos working in Saudi Arabia amounted to $1.8 billion in 2020, making it an important source of foreign currency and a major driver of the Philippines’ economy.
On Saturday, September 10, Ahmed Bin Sulaiman Al-Rajhi met with the Philippine Migrant Workers Minister Susan Ople at the ministry’ headquarter in Riyadh.
During the meeting, Al-Rajhi and Ople reviewed bilateral relations between the two countries and the ways to enhance the various cooperation opportunities.
It is worth noting that this is Minister Susan Ople’s first visit to the Kingdom, since her appointment in June 2022.
