Working overseas is never an easy decision to make, even more for those rearing a family of their own or those who are planning to have one, as well. Working as an OFW, more than anything, is an act of sacrifice. And while noble as it may sound, it’s nothing easy or ideal as to what the uninformed few imagine it to be.
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Of course, there are also plenty of positives to working abroad, such as the opportunity to travel, widening your worldview, understanding new cultures, and the very good pay, to say the least. But what if working overseas meant having all that – plus bringing your family along with you? Would it be an offer that would be too hard to pass?
Sweden: The Next OFW Destination for Work-Life Balance Opportunities
This is exactly one of the reasons why qualified OFWs should look into Sweden for their target work destination.
Sweden is about to become one of the choice destinations for skilled and professional OFWs who would want to work abroad and bring their families with them. This has been the assurance Swedish Ambassador to Manila Harald Fries gave, if any qualified OFW lands a job as a software engineer in the European country, as their whole family gets a residence permit, with the spouse also getting a work permit, as shared in a report by the Manila Bulletin.
The unique offer will come as a timely solution as well to the age-old problem of “disconnect” between families and an OFW member who decides to find work overseas, Fries explained.
He also noted that once a Filipino family arrives in Sweden, they will automatically become part of the extensive Swedish welfare system, which would allow workers to deal with family life there until they decide to move back.
At present, there are over 15,000 Filipinos living in Sweden, a majority of whom have been married to Swedes.
Swedes, as do people in most European nations, take pride in their extensive welfare system, which has been designed to provide a long list of benefits for all citizens and even immigrant workers. Under this system, the government offers a national compulsory health insurance system, and observes a law providing for low-cost housing, child-support payments to parents, child-care subsidies, a mandatory four-week vacation for all workers, unemployment insurance, as well as additional old-age pension benefits, among others.
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