Filipinos warned about ‘unscrupulous individuals’ offering jobs in Malta

Nationals from the Philippines who are interested in seeking work in Malta are being warned against unauthorised recruitment practices on the island.

In two advisories issued in September and November by the Philippine Embassy in Rome, Filipinos were cautioned against recruitment schemes operated by “unscrupulous individuals who are undermining both Maltese and Philippine laws to exact money from their victims”.

The advisories go on to instruct Filipino workers interested in the Maltese labour market to apply for jobs only through Philippine recruitment agencies licenses by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration.

They underline that Overseas Filipino Workers can only be charged a placement fee which is equivalent to up to one month’s salary, and that this has to encompass all charges and other fees relating to the recruitment.

This indicates that the embassy is actively trying to avoid instances where Filipinos might be charged placement fees, by recruitment agencies, which are unlawfully high. Household service workers are exempted from a placement fee, the advisories highlight.

JobsPlus data from 2018 shows that of the 12,407 third country nationals working in Malta, 2,413 - the largest share - are Filipinos.

MaltaToday earlier this year confirmed from statistics that people from the Philippines were mostly employed in administrative and support services activities in Malta, with 1,011 Filipinos working in this area.

A further 544 worked in human health and social work services, and another 330 were employed within households.

The two advisories published by the embassy also tell nationals to ensure that their employment contract is registered with the POEA before they leave the Philippines for Malta.

“Any revision or amendment to a contract must be approved by the POEA of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office,” they emphasise.

“Recruitment practices that violate the rules and regulations of the POEA usually involve unauthorised recruitment, third-country hiring or hiring from countries other than the Philippines, substitution of POEA-approved employment contract and excessive placement fees,” the advisories add.