Huge infrastructure and development projects in Hong Kong will bring better job opportunities for professional and highly skilled Filipino workers. According to the Labor Department, a report from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), confirmed that for this year, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) would start various infrastructure and tourism projects that would surely generate jobs.

Labor Secretary, Baldoz said in a statement, “This is a fair chance for our Filipino workers, not only because they will have the opportunity to earn, but most important, the experience and the learning they will acquire from working in Hong Kong will contribute to their knowledge and skills, which they can use upon their return to the Philippines.”

The Financial Secretary of Hong Kong SAR, John Tsang earlier had a meeting with Assistant Foreign Secretary Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro and discussed the economic plans of Hong Kong for 2013 and in the years to come.

The Hong Kong official disclosed that for 2013, among the regular expenditures of his country would be for infrastructure. The government of Hong Kong allotted HKD17.9 billion (Php93.7 billion) up to HKD70 billion (Php366.5 billion) for the construction of five new railway lines, public hospital construction and renovation, a waste-treatment facility, an indoor stadium and a velodrome.

Aside from that, they will also support developments for Hong Kong’s Ocean Park and Disneyland as doing so would bring positive results in their tourism sector.

A HKD2.3 billion loan (Php12 billion) would be offered by the Hong Kong government to Ocean Park so it can start the construction of an all-weather Water World. Meanwhile, a new nighttime parade and a theme park that will feature the Marvel Heroes would be added attractions in Hong Kong Disneyland.

Baldoz said, “What’s even better is that the Construction Industry Council of Hong Kong is offering 2,000 training slots for those who wish to take construction-related vocational studies.”

Along with the announcement of future job prospects in Hong Kong, Baldoz also reminded Filipino job seekers to avoid being a victim of illegal recruitment by submitting job applications only to agencies duly licensed by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).

She said, "At the same time, I wish to remind everyone interested to work in Hong Kong or in any other part of the world to be extra careful, especially in dealing with recruiters. They can check the web site of the POEA to validate the legitimacy of a job order. They can also check, through the web site, the status of the employment agency that they are dealing with.”

According to the 2011 figures of Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO), there are about 174,851 Filipinos in Hong Kong and of that number; more than 129,000 are land-based overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). Most of the OFWs in Hong Kong are working as domestic helpers.