Filipinos working in Saudi Arabia are likely to flock to Qatar if the new Saudisation scheme is implemented properly, the Philippine Ambassador to Qatar Crescente Relacion has said.
The scheme, which aims to replace millions of expatriate workers in the kingdom with Saudi nationals, will leave jobless Filipinos no choice but to migrate to areas where there is work, Relacion said, according to Qatar’s The Peninsula daily.
“There is a big possibility that they will come here,” a spokesperson told The Peninsula, adding that the main attraction would be the construction frenzy in preparation for the FIFA 2022 World Cup.
Saudi Arabia is currently the largest employer of Filipinos in the Gulf, with as many as 1.4 million Filipino expatriates employed in mid-level roles such as engineering, technical and managerial jobs.
The Saudisation programme, due to come into effect this November, is expected to displace a massive 90,000 Filipinos alone if implemented properly.
According to Relacion, Qatar will be the biggest beneficiary of the new scheme, as scores of Filipinos flock to the gas-rich state to take advantage of the construction boom.
This is despite Qatar seeing a decline in its Filipino population between last year and 2011, which fell from 250,000, to just 150,000.
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