Jobs related to tourism and hospitality industry are expected to be offered soon for Filipinos in Thailand. This is one of the main agreements in the bilateral meeting between the Philippines and Thailand last August 18.
Philippines’ Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco and her counterpart in Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports (MOTS) Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn met on the sideline of the 11th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Tourism Ministerial Meeting (TMM) in Thailand to strengthen bilateral tourism initiatives between The Philippines and Thailand.
Thai Tourism Minister Ratchakitprakarn admitted the shortage of workforce in the kingdom with 60% of vacancies being from different hotel staff to middle managerial positions. This is due to the lifting of travel restrictions in Thailand and the resumption of tourism activities. Thailand is one of the favorite destinations of business and leisure travelers, and the need for English-speaking staff is indispensable.
The agreement is highly anticipated by Filipino job applicants who have been laid off due to the Covid-19 pandemic and who want to work in Thailand in the hospitality industry, particularly in the accommodation sector.
Minister Ratchakitprakarn expressed the inclination toward Filipino workers noting their impressive command of the English language which is a must in Thailand’s growing number of foreign tourists and guests. In response to Thailand’s desire to hire Filipino workers in the hospitality industry, Secretary Frasco told her counterpart that job fairs will be conducted soon all over the Philippines to give opportunities to those who are interested.
“We note with serious consideration the shortage in the tourism workforce coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic. I am presently in discussions with the Philippine Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) wherein we have agreed to conduct joint job fairs all over the Philippines, specifically catered to the tourism industry for the purpose of ensuring that those that left the industry or may have been laid off from the industry during the time of pandemic would once again have the opportunity to be employed,” Secretary Frasco remarked during the meeting.
Secretary Frasco extended the invitation to Thai delegation to join the job fair series in the Philippines and it was gladly accepted. On September 22-24, DOT, DOLE, LGUs, and the Thai guests are expected to attend the first in a job fair series called “Trabaho Turismo Asenso!”.
The said job fair is not solely for possible jobs offered in Thailand, but also for local tourism. Secretary Frasco announced that the DOT is also conducting surveys in each region in the Philippines to determine the number of job vacancies for local work opportunities.
Source: beta.tourism.gov.ph