Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople, together with DMW senior officials, meets with Austrian Ambassador His Excellency Johann Brieger to discuss labor cooperation initiatives on the recruitment of Filipino nurses to Austria, during the latter’s courtesy call, today, April 18 at the DMW Office in Mandaluyong City. Photo from Department of Migrant Workers
Austria is opening its labor market to Filipino professionals and skilled workers across all industries, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said.
A high-level delegation from Austria led by Professor Gunther Wiesinger visited Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople to discuss employment opportunities for Filipino workers in Austria.
The delegation relayed to Ople that Austria will need 60,000 to 75,000 health care professionals and 200,000 more across different industries.
“In the course of the next couple of years, Austria has a demand for around 60,000 to 75,000 health care professionals with an additional 200,000 job openings across all industries,” Wiesinger told Ople.
Ople considers Austria as a promising labor market for overseas Filipinos given its high demand for skilled workers from around the world.
Austrian Ambassador Dr. Johann Brieger accompanied the delegation, which was composed of representatives from the City of Vienna and the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber.
“Our partnership with the Philippine government through the DMW will create a win-win situation, providing employment opportunities for skilled Filipino workers while contributing to the growth of Austria’s economy,” Brieger said.
Ople thanked the members of the Austrian delegation for their interest in hiring Filipino workers and for choosing to collaborate with the DMW in ensuring that fair and ethical principles are upheld as part of the recruitment and hiring initiatives.
The DMW secretary briefed the members of the delegation on the Philippine government’s initiatives to ensure that there are enough nurses and other health care workers to serve the local population.
She informed the delegation of the DMW’s plan to launch a scholarship fund for nursing students in coordination with the Department of Health and the Commission on Higher Education.
“Upon the advice of the Department of Foreign Affairs, we would need to sign a memorandum of understanding to set the tone and define the parameters of our partnership with the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber and the Federal State of Vienna,” Ople said.
She noted that both the Philippines and Austria belong to the Tier 1 category in the US State Department’s Trafficking in Persons Report, which means they have sufficient mechanisms and laws to prevent human trafficking.
There are around 5,824 OFWs in Austria.
The members of the Austrian delegation included Christina Stieber (commercial counselor, Austrian Embassy), Maximillian Buchleitner (head of International Recruitment Initiative of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber), Prof. Guenther Wiesinger (chairman, Austrian and Vienna Association of Health Care Facilities Section, Austrian Chamber of Commerce), Julia Moreno-Hasenoehrl (deputy head of the Social Policy and Health Policy Department), Angelika Kulhanek (advisor for the Austrian Association of Healthcare Facilities, Austrian Federal Economic Chamber), and Monika Badilla (deputy CEO, Vienna Social Fund).
