According to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), KSA (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) tops the 20 global destinations of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) as it hired 112, 295 OFWs in the first semester of 2005.

A report sent to Labor and Employment Secretary Patricia A. Sto. Tomas states that Saudi Arabia tops the list of the traditional markets where OFWs continue to be productive.

These are the top ten (10) global destinations:

1: KSA (KSA) (112, 295)

2: Hong Kong (54, 477)

3: United Arab Emirates or UAE (43,970)

4: Japan (32,210)

5: Taiwan (27,151)

6: Kuwait (20,945)

7: Qatar (15,672)

8: Singapore (16,444)

9: Italy (12,123)

10: United Kingdom (11,078)

The top 10 global destinations are followed by the following (top 11 to 20 global destinations):

11: Lebanon (7,255)

12: Bahrain (5,560)

13: Brunei (5,213)

14: South Korea (5,002)

15: Malaysia (3,868)

16: Ireland (3,696)

17: Israel (3,509)

18: the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (3,350)

19: Libya (2,928)

20: China (2,853)

The year 2005’s rate is greater by 11.26 percent (+39, 456):

(first semester of 2005) OFWs deployed =  389, 599

(first semester of 2004) OFWs deployed =  350, 456

DOLE said that this growth is due to the global preference for the Filipino skills, their English language capabilities, and their work ethics.

"In general, the global growth in the deployment and remittances of OFWs has been sustained amidst the government's intensified thrusts against illegal recruitment and our efforts in cooperation with the private sector to upgrade OFW standards and maintain our global competitive edge," Sto. Tomas stated.

Source:  Information and Publication Service http://www.dole.gov.ph/