The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) has urged the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Women’s Center to include caregiving training in its free competency-based programs, citing the increasing demand for care workers abroad.

Speaking at the Women Trailblazers in the Care Economy Forum held at the DMW NCR-Makati branch on 18 March, Undersecretary for Policy and International Cooperation Patricia Yvonne Caunan emphasized that caregiving training would greatly benefit aspiring overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), particularly those under government-to-government (G-to-G) employment programs.

“Many of our G-to-G programs seek hotel workers and care workers. Previously, Israel had openings, and now we’ve launched a pilot program in Korea. We’re also exploring new G-to-G agreements with Slovenia and Croatia,” Caunan said.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) on labor cooperation signed with Slovenia on 11 March includes a framework for a G-to-G employment program, with caregivers as a key focus.

Caunan also noted that the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates a global need for around 10 million care workers by 2030.

Currently, the TESDA Women’s Center offers competency-based training programs in various fields, including barista services, bookkeeping, bread and pastry production, cookery, dressmaking, electrical installation and maintenance, housekeeping, plumbing, virtual assistant services, and welding.

New job opportunities in Croatia

In a related development, Croatia is set to open approximately 3,500 job opportunities for hotel workers, including positions for hospitality staff, housekeepers, and bartenders. According to Caunan, the DMW is finalizing the hiring guidelines for these roles.

“The message from the Croatian side is that they need workers this summer, which means by late April or May,” she said.

Unlike some overseas employment programs, language training is not a requirement for Filipinos applying for hotel jobs in Croatia. Salaries start at €1,000 (approximately P62,000) and above, with further details on the application process to be announced soon.

To date, the DMW has signed around 15 written agreements (MoUs and JDIs) aimed at expanding job opportunities for OFWs worldwide.