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INDIA
is one of the leading countries when it comes to
information technology that a lot of Indian IT
professionals find employment in different countries all
over the world.
In fact Korea’s expanding IT industry
hires most of its foreign workers from India—and Vietnam
in second place. This comes as a surprise because the
Philippines holds the reputation as manpower-exporting
country. There are reportedly around 100 Filipinos
working in that industry in Korea.
This time, however, more Filipino
workers may get the chance to work in Korea.
At a recent tripartite forum hosted by
JobPlus International Manpower Corp. at Edsa Shangri-La
Hotel in Mandaluyong City, the Korea IT Ventures
Association, also known as KOIVA, led by its
secretary-general Choi Pyoung Hee, sent a group of
senior officials and company principals to meet with
representatives of the Philippine Overseas & Employment
Administration, or POEA, and different local IT
institutions and schools to discuss the need for
Filipino IT professionals and workers in the expanding
Korean IT industry. They also interviewed Filipino IT
applicants for their immediate needs.
KOIVA is composed of around 1500 small
to big Korean IT companies with a total workforce of
150,000. With both the government and private sector
represented, the association oversees the entry of
foreign IT workers into the country.
The Koreans are looking at the
Philippines because Indian IT professionals are getting
higher-paying job offers in Europe. As a result, Korean
companies look for alternative sources, and since the
Philippines is an English-speaking country, it ranks
high among the countries being tapped by Korea.
Lawyer Alejandro Padaen, POEA director
for adjudication, attended the forum and presented the
basic governmental policies and guidelines in overseas
employment of Filipino.
University of Santo Tomas professor
Perla Cosme also made a presentation on the current
status of IT schools in the Philippines, as well as the
courses and curriculum being offered by schools.
KOIVA clarified that Korean companies
will consider IT workers with a minimum two-year working
experience, while those who have finished postgraduate
studies in IT related courses may be hired fresh from
the school.
Other members of the Korean delegation,
who also conducted actual job interviews for, were Song
Pan Suh, Jun Chang Ho, Lee Yun Suok, Ahn Jae Myung, Park
Ki Oh, Lee Yong Joon and JobPlus
Korea
chief executive officer Kim In Soo.
JobPlus president Lee Jin Soo welcomed
the opportunity to have hosted the event, “We believe
that the Philippines can readily supply Korea with its
need for IT professionals and we are happy that our
company has played a role in bringing about this visit
by our friends from Korea, “said the Filipino-speaking
Korean executive who has lived in the country quite some
time.
Jin Soo expects the number of Filipino
IT professionals employed in Korea to rise dramatically
in the near future, with his company at the forefront of
hiring them. L. Cinco |
