Why plumbers are in demand in Philippines, abroad

MANILA, Philippines - If you think you're not making enough money from your present job, you may want to consider switching occupations. The Department of Labor and Employment said there are many jobs waiting for Filipinos here in the Philippines. But the question is whether they have the right skills and training required by the job. The latest Labor Market Study identified plumbers as one of the most in demand jobs for the Philippines until 2020. Other in-demand jobs until 2020 are accountants, agriculturists, animators, engineers, web designers and welders. However, these are also the occupations considered hard to fill because of the lack of qualified applicants. "Laging mas maraming vacancies napopost kesa sa number of applicants. Tapos yun mga available applicants, hindi naman sila agad mag-fit sa vacancies," Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said. The Philippine Society of Plumbing Engineers said skilled workers have a place in the labor market. With the boom in the construction industry, demand for plumbers is very high in the Philippines and even abroad. "Yung construction namin ngayon sobrang boom, sobrang daming kailangan. Kapos na kapos po, kaya maski estudyante na kaka-graduate lang gusto nang kunin sa abroad," Alberto Cabael, president of the Philippine Society of Plumbing Engineers, said. Plumbers here in the Philippines may earn minimum wage, but when they get to other countries like Canada, they may be paid $30-$40 an hour or almost P1,800 per hour. Meanwhile, the DOLE study also identified key employment generators or sectors who have the potential to generate the most number of jobs for the next few years. These are agriculture, industry, services, transportation, real estate and education. Baldoz said it is important that stakeholders act now to address the shortages in these jobs, especially since every vacancy that cannot be filled represents missed opportunities for Filipinos.