’Recognize migrants’ skills’

Veronica Uy
INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — Labor Secretary Marianito Roque on Wednesday asked destination countries to recognize the professional skills and qualifications that migrant workers have acquired in their home countries.

In his speech opening the general debate of the Second Global Forum on Migration and Development, Roque said providing for mutual recognition arrangements in determining skills equivalences of migrants at bilateral and regional levels ensure that migrant workers will be treated and compensated fairly.

This in turn would optimize their contributions to the growth of both their countries of origin and their countries of destination.

“To maximize opportunities as well as the capacity of migrant workers to contribute to development, we need to agree at bilateral and international levels on better systems of recognizing their professional, education, and technical achievements,” Roque said.

“Fair equivalency methods can certainly expand opportunities for migrants in sending countries while meeting the needs of receiving nations for needed skills,” he added.

To do this, Roque said, both countries of origin and destination can work on providing migrant workers the needed skills through pre-departure or on-the-job training programs, batting for the establishment of training centers.

He said that this is already being done in the country in partnership with Norway and Japan, which have opened training centers for the maritime sector.