More job opportunities for Filipino nurses and engineers are waiting in New Zealand and Australia. Filipino professionals will have more chances of finding jobs in New Zealand and Australia as these two countries vowed to increase their demand for healthcare and skilled workers.

This commitment came after the enforcement of the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA) in January this year.

An effort to raise awareness on the benefit of the said agreement were made by the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI), in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), through a series of seminar there held last week.

The agreement states that up to 100 Filipino nurses will be allowed by New Zealand to work there as registered nurses at any one time for a period of three years. They will be given working visas while they are undergoing the required bridging courses and exam.

Up to 20 Philippine farm managers and 20 Philippine engineering professionals will also be allowed to enter the country at any one time for a period of three years.

Andrew Matheson, New Zealand Ambassador to the Philippines, disclosed that the New Zealand government has also agreed to work with the Philippines to help develop the local dairy industry, an industry that currently supplies only about one percent of this country’s demand.

A negotiation for a reciprocal working holiday scheme open to up to 100 citizens of each country may also be entered into between New Zealand and the Philippines, allowing young people to stay for up to a year and work to support their extended vacation.

Subject to a certain condition, Matheson also said New Zealand would allow entry of independent professional service suppliers for up to one year, and entry of business visitors, installers or servicers for up to three months in any calendar year.

“The trade negotiators have done their jobs and it is now up to businesses to take advantage of this agreement and let the benefits of the AANZFTA flow through to businesses and consumers,” said Matheson.

After securing a license to operate in Europe, iRemit made true to its commitment of servicing overseas Filipino worker (OFWs) staying in the region with iRemit Europe.

Now, still the largest Filipino-owned non-bank remittance company, iRemit wants to strengthen its presence in Europe as it plans to open more branches in major cities in the region.

iRemit will be opening more branches in Europe, namely in Milan, Florence, Padua, Plato, Venice, Genoa and Naples, as stated in the company’s disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange.

Aside from those mentioned, iRemit president and chief operating officer Harris Jacildo said the also plans to open branches in France and Switzerland to tap and provide service to the the fast-growing European OFW market.

“This ambitious plan to open branches in the region simultaneously and aggressively pursue opportunities in other territories is a very strategic move that characterizes iRemit as an industry trailblazer,” Jacildo said.

And as Bansan Choa, chairman and chief executive officer of iRemit, the company deemed its high time to move into “previously unchartered territories” to take advantage of opportunities to expand the business and extend its target market to include more Filipinos and other nationals.

iRemit was founded in 2001, and to date still remains to be the largest Filipino-owned non-bank remittance company in the Philippines. It has already established presences in 27 countries in North America, Asia Pacific, Europe and the Middle East with more than 5,000 payout partners nationwide.

More employment opportunities in Taiwan await Filipino jobseekers, the Philippine Star reported today.

In its business page, the local newspaper said that according to local recruiters, there are at least 30,000 jobs awaiting Filipino workers in Taiwan.

Pilipino Manpower Association of Taiwan, Inc. (PILMAT) president Jackson Gan said that factories in Taiwan are still in dire need of Filipinos and other foreign workers.

“Companies in Taiwan continue to hire workers and we have thousands of job orders that are yet to be filled up until this time,” Gan said, adding that  Taiwan has bounced back from last year’s financial crisis and is hiring more workers than in past years.

He said, however, that they are having difficulty recruiting skilled workers to fill up the vacancies because of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) secretary-general’s warning that “the forging of an economic cooperation agreement between Taiwan and China would adversely affect the employment of OFWs.”

Gan stressed that NEDA’s fear is baseless since Taiwanese employers still prefer Filipinos compared to other workers from other countries.

He said that while Taiwan hires other nationalities like Vietnamese and Indonesians, overseas Filipino workers still have the advantage because Filipinos can speak the English language unlike other nationalities. He also noted that Taiwan hires an average of 40,000 Filipino workers, including factory workers and caregivers, annually.

Gan stressed “NEDA is sounding an alarm without basis that could jeopardize the country’s economic stability. Its warning that thousands of OFWs may lose jobs is far-fetched.”

Major banks in the Philippines are now offering yuan-denominated savings accounts. The latest to join the ranks of local banks who offer these products is the Bank of the Philippine Islands.

The yuan or Renmibi products of BPI would be opened in the first week of the new Chinese New Year of the Metal Tiger. These products include an interest-earning passbook savings account and time deposits, although only selected BPI branches would be carrying these products.

The bank said it’s yuan savings account aims to address the need to safe keep yuan denomination as the Philippine-China economic partnership continues to grow in the domestic market. BPI said offering Chinese yuan will “further strengthen its foreign currency offerings to clients.”

The Chinese yuan transaction is expected by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to grow this year because of the expanded trade between China and the Philippines.

BSP said Renminbi business is expected to grow as “more banks become acquainted with the business opportunities in the Chinese currency.”

Yes, the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector is seen to grow bigger, in fact it is predicted to be a $10-billion industry in 10 years time

This is what the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) sees, who said that the BPO sector in the country is growing, the $10-billion industry mark will be possible in 10 years if the right investment are made the next administration.

NEDA Director Dennis Arroyo said that based on the way the sector is growing at this time, he projected that the country’s BPO industry would be able to take up a fifth of the global industry of $500 billion by 2020.

The country’s BPO sector, which just started as a $0.02-billion industry in 2000, has grown to $1.5 billion in 2004, $4.9 billion in 2007 and $7.3 billion last year. The sector now represents close to five percent of the country’s gross domestic product.

From just a $0.02-billion industry in 2000, BPO has quickly grown to $1.5 billion in 2004, $4.9 billion in 2007 and $7.3 billion last year.

BPO now represents close to five percent of gross domestic product and according to Arroyo, it has multiplier effects in other sectors that contribute to the overall economy.

The Philippines’ BPO sector is now second only to India who has a $9-billion BPO industry. But Arroyo said that the country can easily surpass this because of our inherent advantages over our Asian neighbor.

Some of the advantages, Arroyo pointed out, is the country’s edge over proficiency in the English language as well as the overall talent in various fields, such as animation.

He then tossed up the challenge on the next administration to put up the necessary investments to sustain the growth of the country’s BPO industry.

Yes, the star of Terminator is coming to Philippines next year, but it will be a purely-business trip. California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will be leading a business delegation who will visit the country in 2010.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said the actor-turned politician will be bringing along about 200 businessmen from San Francisco who will discuss possible partnership deals with companies in the Philippines on the second week of February. Green-energy technology is the main agenda of the delegation.

The visit is just the first of several inbound business-matching sessions to be hosted by the Philippines next year. The project is spearheaded by DTI’s Bureau of Export and Trade Promotion (BETP).

Delegates from Canada,Northern China, Portland, Seattle and Silicon Valley, would also be coming next year to seek partnership with local companies.

Aside from these inbound business-matching sessions, the government plans to bring local exporters to almost 20 countries next year for similar prearranged business-matching sessions with foreign buyers.

The DTI said exporters that are interested in participating in these business-matching programs for 2010 may contact BETP through (02)890-1200. These meetings are prearranged to ensure a higher success of fit between exporters and buyers, the DTI said.

After receiving assistance from the US, China and Japan, the Philippines was assured by the United Nations of its international assistance as the country recoup from the damages brought about by typhoon Ondoy (international name Ketsana).

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon gave his assurance of international support to Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo during a meeting at the UN Headquarters in New York on Monday (Tuesday morning in Manila).

Shortly after Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo appeal for international aid, Romulo met with Ban and Undersecretary General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes. In response to the Philippine’s request, the secretary general said the UN is considering issuing a flash appeal for emergency assistance from both member states and non-government organizations.

Holmes, who also heads the Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (Ocha), had an earlier meeting with Romulo. He said his agency is ready to coordinate international humanitarian assistance and is looking into the possibility of utilizing the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). The CERF is a humanitarian fund established by the UN to enable more timely and reliable humanitarian assistance to those affected by natural disasters and armed conflicts.

Holmes also said that Ocha personnel are assisting in relief operations in Manila. He added that additional personnel who are based in Bangkok will be flying to the Philippines to assess the situation and give recommendations on the kind of assistance they will give.

Meanwhile, the UN chief also expressed his sympathy and condolences to the Philippine government and to the families of the more than 250 people who perished in the floods that also displaced more than 5000,000 people in Metro Manila and 25 other provinces.