PHILIPPINE Ambassador to Israel Macairog Alberto met officials of the Israel Hotel Association (IHA) at the Embassy to discuss joint efforts to expedite the deployment of Filipino hotel workers to Israel this April 2022.
As Israel reopens its tourism industry, allows the entry of both vaccinated and unvaccinated travelers, and eases its travel and health restrictions, its hotel sector will require a full workforce to cater to the expected influx of tourists to the Holy Land.
The Philippines and Israel are thus working together to fast track the arrival of the initial batch of 500 Filipino hotel workers in the first week of April, ahead of Passover and Holy Week, both peak holidays and tourist-draws for the country. The project is under the 2018 Philippines-Israel labor agreement for a government-to-government arrangement for Filipino hotel workers for Israel.
During the meeting, IHA shared that its members may require up to 10,000 laborers and expressed readiness to hire 800 Filipino hotel workers, which will then be increased to 2000 at the earliest opportunity.
IHA also praised the Filipino workers’ professionalism, English proficiency, and work ethic while Ambassador Alberto assured IHA that the Embassy is working closely with DOLE, POEA, as well as with Israeli labor and immigration authorities for the earliest deployment of Filipino workers.
The Ambassador also proposed that Israeli hotels also take in Filipino students on on- the-job training programs, which the IHA positively received and committed to consider after the initial deployment of Filipino workers have been accomplished.
