Pinoy engineers in demand in Holland, Belgium

Pinoy engineers in demand in Holland, Belgium

By LOUI GALICIA, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau 01/16/2009 2:06 AM

Even if many experts have said that the worst effects of the world economic crisis will be felt this year, 2009 looks promising for some lucky Filipino engineers.

The reason is that there is a big demand for experienced engineers in The Netherlands and Belgium.

Holland already opened its market for the so-called “knowledge migrants” and Belgium is already expected to follow this year.

In fact, through Dutch engineering employment company JVR Consult, twenty-five Filipino engineers have been recruited and have already arrived in Holland before the end of 2008.

“Marami sa mga engineers sa atin na experienced talaga na pwede dito pero parang wala pa silang knowledge doon na mayroon palang kailangan dito sa Europe. Kasi ngayon ang focus ng karamihan na mga engineers lalo na sa oil and gas industry, eh sa Middle East, Canada at sa U.S.,” said Jeffrey Pamucol, one of JVR Consult’s first recruits.

“Hindi nila alam na dito sa Europe eh marami palang kailangan ngayon at madali pala ang proseso kasi noong sinabi sa amin noong kumpanya, eh in a matter of 15 days nabigyan kami ng visa. Ganoon lang kadali, basta kumpleto lang iyong requirements ng paper mo,” Pamucol told Balitang Europe.

At a recently-held acquaintance party for the engineers, RP Ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg and EU Cristina Ortega and RP Ambassador to The Netherlands Romeo Arguelles and his wife attended in order to show their appreciation to JVR Consult and to welcome the Pinoys.

The two envoys even brought some of their staff members in order to introduce them to the engineers and provide information on the services offered at the embassies.

This year, JVR Consult will need forty engineers in Holland and 15 in Belgium for the petrochemical, oil and gas industries.

With familiesPart of the good news about the hiring is the family reunification program that comes with the package.

“Meron silang kasama na mga myembro ng kanilang pamilya. And that is what I like very much with what is being done with JVR. Nagawa na nitong JVR Consult ang pagpapadala na nitong IT engineers with their families kasi ito noon ang problema natin. Naiiwan noon ang mga family ng mga migrant workers na nagpupunta sa Middle East, sa Asia, even in Europe or in the U.S.,” Ortega said.

“Europe is a developed region, developed world, mas maraming mga conveniences, mas maraming rights na maibibigay sa ating kababayan so ito ang aking hope and prayer na dumami ang ating highly skilled workers. Dumami ang mga professionals natin para ipakita natin sa mga tao dito sa Europe na di lang po naman mga domestic helpers ang magagaling sa atin,” Ortega added.

Apart from being able to bring their family members, the perks also include an initial contract of one year, annual salary of not less than 45,000 euros or P240,000 per month depending on the age bracket, free education, housing allowance, health benefits and special tax exemption.

“The government allows that not only the engineer will get a working permit but also the complete family is allowed to work. On top of that a special tax ruling that means that the first ten years that you live here in the Netherlands… the first 30% of your gross income is tax free,” said Jan Van Rossum, director and CEO of JVR Consult.

Demand higher
Even if many industries in Europe have been affected by the present crisis, JVR Consult believes that the demand for engineers will even be higher in the coming years.

According to JVR Consult, there are very few local graduates of engineering in Holland and Belgium and that the population is slowly ageing.

Van Rossum said that the average age of a worker in Holland and Belgium is 48 years old.

“That means that the number of all the people who soon will retire is tremendous and for that purpose, we are foreseeing a huge future for young people who are willing to come to the Netherlands,” Van Rossum said.

“We need to take these people from other countries. Highly educated, well-experienced and so that’s the reason we are going to look for the Filipinos in the Philippines and other countries to get them interested to work in Europe,” added Jos Van Dyck, manager of JVR Consult Belgium.

Ortega said that it may be sooner than expected that her dream to see a surge in Pinoy professionals exercising their respective trades in Europe will come true.

“Marami din po tayong mga professionals and probably because of this new immigration policy, iyong ating mga dating teachers na nannies ngayon ay maging teachers na. ‘Yong ating dating engineers, engineers talaga sila pero just to get work eh nag-da-driver sila eh maging engineers na sila. ‘Yong ating mga nurses para lang magkaroon ng trabaho dito eh pumapayag na maging caretaker eh maging nurse na rin sila,” Ortega said.

SOURCE: WWW.ABS-CBNNEWS.COM

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/pinoy-migration/01/15/09/pinoy-engineers-demand-holland-belgium