Israel is in need of atleast 2,500 Filipino hotel workers

As Israel's tourism industry reopens, allowing both vaccinated and unvaccinated travelers in, as well as easing travel and health restrictions, its hotel industry will require a full workforce to accommodate the projected flood of tourists to the Holy Land.

According to statistics, around 4.5 million tourists from all over the world visited Israel during Holy Week in 2020, a month before the outbreak.

This is why the Philippine Ambassador to Israel, Macairog Alberto, met with officials from the Israel Hotel Association (IHA) last March 14 to discuss joint efforts to speed up the deployment of the initial batch of 500 Filipino hotel workers which is scheduled next month, in the first week of April 2022, ahead of Passover and Holy Week.

IHA stated that its members may require up to 10,000 laborers and that it is willing to hire additional 800 Filipino hotel workers, which would be increased to 2,000.

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It is also worth noting that the IHA praised the Filipino workers' for their professionalism, English proficiency, and work ethic.

Alberto, on the other hand, assured IHA that the Embassy is working closely with the Philippine Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), as well as Israeli labor and immigration authorities, to ensure that Filipino workers will be deployed in Israel as soon as possible.

In terms of salary

Minimum wage for a hotel housekeeper is 5,300 NIS (around P86,000), but the worker needs to pay for his/her 10-percent income tax, 125 NIS medical insurance, 568 NIS housing, as well as other expenses like food, telephone and travel.

In terms of qualifications applicants must:

• Have a NCII Certification on Housekeeping;
• Be at least 25 years old;
• Physically and mentally healthy;
• Have good command of English;
• Do not have parent, spouse or children working or residing in Israel and;
• Have never worked previously in Israel.

In terms of documentary requirements, applicants must prepare:

• National Bureau of  Investigation (NBI) clearance
• National Certificate Level 2 (NC II Housekeeping) from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA)
• Unified Multi-Purpose ID (UMID) or UMID Common Reference Number (CRN)
• Philippine Passport (must be valid for atleast three (3) years)
• The printed copy of the Worker's Information Sheet or the E-registration form.

Those who have already applied and were included in the random selection but have not yet been assigned contracts will be given priority, according to the POEA website. Hotel employees whose contracts were revoked owing to Covid-19 do not need to re-apply.

Important reminder

This project is under the 2018 Philippine-Israel bilateral labor agreement for a government-to-government arrangement for the deployment of Filipino hotel personnel to Israel which means that there will be no recruitment agency engaged.

The said labor agreement was signed during President Rodrigo Roa Duterte's official visit to Israel in September 2018, and took effect in December 2020, with the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) and Israel's Population and Immigration Authority (PIBA) launching nationwide recruitment efforts in the Philippines.

How to apply?

For all the applicants who wish to apply, you may register by clicking this link POEAOnlineServices.

For further inquiries, you may visit POEA centers/offices together with the required documents you will need to submit. You may click this link for the reference of POEA centers/offices POEA - Philippine Overseas Employment Administration.

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Source: Manila Times, Manila Bulletin, Business Mirror