Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said that the so called Saudization policy of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is not going to affect the millions of Filipino workers engaged in various development activities in the country.

Saudization policy mandates maximum local hiring by the companies in the Middle East region and it is aimed to curb growing unemployment in the country in the wake of rising immigrant population.

Speaking at the 68th Caraga Regional Development Council in Surigao City Baldoz added, "We don't believe that our 1.5 million workers in Saudi Arabia will be affected. There is no truth on that because Saudi Arabia will not be as it is now without migrant Filipino skilled workers. They need us."

She further added that her Saudi Arabian counterpart has given him assurance during their meeting in Geneva last month. She added that highly skilled Filipino workers in Saudi Arabia don’t need to worry about their job security. Saudi Arabia also assured that it will continue hiring migrant workers given to large scale mega projects scheduled in the coming year.