The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) today said that Israel's decision to allow their senior citizens to hire foreign workers would have a positive effect on the potential opportunities and employment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in that host country.

A report reaching Labor and Employment Secretary Patricia A. Sto. Tomas indicated that Israel had also issued new regulations to protect OFWs and other migrant workers from any contract violations by their employers.

Labor Attache to Tel Aviv Teresita R. Manzala told Sto. Tomas that the new decision of the Israeli government allows Israelis 85 years old and above to hire foreign workers. Around 20,000 Israeli senior citizens will be covered by Israel's National Insurance, she said.

"This will have a positive impact on Filipino care workers [in terms] of more job opportunities," the labor attache said.

She further said the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Tel-Aviv had clarified with the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare regarding the country's New Employment Service Law, and as to which industries or companies would be allowed, or given the Permit to Hire foreign workers, relative to the opening of the Israeli labor market.

Manzala also said that Israel's Ministry of the Interior's Permit Department had already issued new regulations to protect foreign workers from hiring violations.

She indicated that the regulations for the order of foreign employees had been issued due to several cases of foreign employees claiming they were "cheated" by employers as they had been put to work in jobs they were not skilled in.

She said the Ministry decided that during application, the employee's resume will be required together with a sworn and notarized statement regarding his/her knowledge or skill, experience, and qualifications as to the position to be filled; former employer references and recommendations; and, if the employee is an expert or specialist, the appropriate credentials.

The new Israeli regulations also required the specifications of the contact, or personnel recruitment company involved in the recruitment; commitment of the contact, or recruitment company regarding the skill requirements requested by the employer; and, signature of the employer, or his/her representative, before the authorization clerk of the Ministry regarding suitability for the job.

Figures furnished by the DOLE's Philippine Overseas Employment Administration show that Israel became the 15th top destination of OFWs globally in the first semester of 2005 after it hired/rehired some 3,509 documented OFWs, or an increase of 25 percent compared to 2,807 for the same period in 2004.