Pinoy hoteliers bound for Croatia under new gov’t job deal

Filipino workers eyeing global careers in the hospitality industry can soon pack their bags for Croatia, thanks to a newly signed government-to-government labor agreement between the Philippines and the Croatian government.

The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) announced Friday that Undersecretary Felicitas Bay and Croatian Employment Service Director General Ante Loncar formalized the Implementing Guidelines for the Pilot Project on the Recruitment and Employment of Filipino Hotel Workers during a virtual ceremony held Thursday.

The signing was witnessed by Philippine Ambassador to Austria Evangelina Lourdes Bernas and Croatian Labor and Employment Director Luka Čirko.

“This milestone marks a significant step toward facilitating safe, ethical, and government-to-government job opportunities for Filipinos in Croatia’s hospitality sector,” Bay said.

Under the agreement, Croatian employers will shoulder recruitment-related expenses, subject to agreed-upon terms, helping protect Filipino workers from excessive fees. The deployment process will follow strict OFW protection protocols, ensuring transparency, fairness, and adherence to both Philippine and Croatian labor laws.

To prepare the workers before deployment, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) will conduct pre-departure orientation seminars, while the DMW’s Pre-Employment and Government Placement Bureau will handle pre-flight briefings.

The partnership builds on the Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) in the Field of Labor Market, signed by both countries in October 2024 and ratified by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in January 2025. It also underscores the current administration’s push to expand ethical and secure job pathways for overseas Filipino workers.

Beyond opening doors for hotel workers, the deal strengthens bilateral labor cooperation rooted in mutual respect and shared prosperity, with mechanisms in place to swiftly resolve any labor-related issues that may arise.