Kasunod ng paghupa ng COVID-19 pandemic, mas maraming bansa umano sa Europe ang nais kumuha ng mga manggagawang Pinoy para sa iba't ibang industriya tulad sa health care sector, ayon sa isang opisyal ng Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

Kahit sa gitna ng pandemic, sinabi ni Labor Attaché Atty. Maria Corina Buñag nitong Miyerkules, na may mga European countries na nasa hurisdiksiyon ng Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) sa Milan, Italy ang gustong kumuha ng marami pang Pinoy workers.

“Aside from Milan, and Northern Italy, we have an emerging labor market in Austria, Romania, Croatia, Hungary, and Slovakia. Italy is now fast becoming an active destination for our OFWs because the employment landscape remains strong and attractive and there is a huge demand for Filipinos,” pahayag ni Buñag.

Umaasa si Buñag na maisasara ang bilateral agreement sa Austria na nais kumuha ng nasa 1,000 nurses, nursing assistants, at iba pang manggagawa sa healthcare industry.

“Since there is a dearth of health care workers in the European region, for its initial project, the government of Austria is looking into hiring 1,000 nurses, from healthcare assistants to registered nurses or even higher ranks,” sabi ng opisyal.

“Immediately after the election, we will have an ocular assessment of prospective employers. This is a long-term work opportunity for our health care workers, that is why we are working on how we can secure a recognized certification for our nursing graduates,” patuloy niya.

Nadagdagan din umano ang pagpapadala ng OFW sa Romania.

“Currently, there are about 1,500 OFWs in Romania, but every week, around 20 OFWs are being deployed as household service workers, factory workers, as well as automotive workers,” sabi pa ni Buñag.

Napansin din ng DOLE sa POLO sa Milan na tumaas ang hiring ng OFWs sa Croatia sa sektor ng tourism and service industries, tulad sa  hotel, resort, at sa mga restaurant.

At mula sa dating wala pang 100, ngayon ay mahigit 3,000 na umano ang OFW sa Croatia.

Sinabi ni Buñag na nais ng mga Croatian ang mga Pinoy dahil kilala sila na "talented, skilled, and proficient in the English language."

“With only 862 Filipino workers, we are expecting that the current deployment rate in Hungary will be expanded because the Hungarian government has also expressed interest in opening thousands of jobs for our OFWs,” ayon pa sa opisyal.— FRJ, GMA News