The Philippines have been a prolific source of skilled talent for Australian businesses and across the globe.

Given the abundance of qualified professionals in fields like nursing, care workers, allied health like occupational therapists, engineering, mining, IT, and hospitality in the Philippines, and proficiency in English, Filipinos are attractive candidates to help fill Australia’s skills gap to help grow our economy.

What is the exit requirement for skilled Filipino talent?

The Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) is one of the mandatory exit requirements for Filipinos intending to work overseas. Australian businesses intending to hire Filipino talent must obtain OECs from the Philippine Overseas Labour Office (POLO), now known as the Department of Migrant Workers.

POLO was set up by the Philippine government in each country to provide surety to all parties, including the government, labour agents and the worker that the Filipino worker will be treated to a standard required by the Philippines Government.

Before a business can obtain OECs for their Filipino candidates, they need to be approved as an Accredited Employer by POLO. As the process is not simple, an employer should partner with an agency that can ensure compliance with the requirements of POLO to secure the accreditation.