Text of the provision
Art. 18. Ban on direct-hiring. No employer may hire a Filipino worker for overseas employment except through the Boards and entities authorized by the Secretary of Labor. Direct-hiring by members of the diplomatic corps, international organizations and such other employers as may be allowed by the Secretary of Labor is exempted from this provision.
Labor Code of the Philippines, Presidential Decree No. 442, as amended. Reproduced in full from the official enactment and verified against the LawPhil and ChanRobles renderings.
What this article means
An employer may not hire a Filipino for overseas work directly — hiring must pass through the Boards and entities authorized by the Secretary of Labor. Members of the diplomatic corps, international organizations and others the Secretary allows are exempt.
Questions about this provision
- Can a foreign employer hire a Filipino worker directly without going through a licensed agency?
- Which overseas employers are exempt from the ban on direct hiring of Filipino workers?
Related provisions
- Article 17 — Overseas Employment Development Board.
- Article 19 — Office Of Emigrant Affairs.
A note on article numbers. The articles of the Labor Code have been administratively renumbered, so the same provision is often cited under a different number. Supreme Court decisions write both, in the form “Article 297 [282]” — the new number first, the original in brackets. The text on this page is published under its original number, which is the numbering both source texts use. When citing, check which numbering your source follows.
Cases interpreting this article
- Authorities on this article will be added here as each is verified against primary sources.