Overseas Filipinos

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Overseas Filipinos
Mga Pilipino sa Ibayong-dagat

Total population
10.2 million (including descendants of Filipinos and persons of partial Filipino ancestry)[1] figures are for various years, per individual supporting sources cited.
Regions with significant populations
United States	3,416,844
Saudi Arabia	1,020,000[not in citation given][2]
Canada	851,410[3]
United Arab Emirates	679,819[4]
Malaysia	325,089[5]
Japan	260,553[6]
Australia	232,386[7]
Qatar	195,558[not in citation given][2]
Singapore	163,000[1]
Kuwait	250,000[not in citation given][2]
Hong Kong	186,869[8]
Italy	113,686[9]
Spain	115,362[10]
United Kingdom	112,000[not in citation given][2]
Taiwan	108,520[11]
South Korea	63,464[12]
New Zealand	40,347[13]
Israel	31,000[14]
Papua New Guinea	25,000[15]
Germany	20,589[16]
Thailand	17,574[17]
Netherlands	16,719[18]
Macau	14,544[19]
Sweden	13,000[20]
Ireland	12,791[21]
Austria	12,474[22]
Norway	12,262[23]
China	12,254[24]
Switzerland	10,000'[25]
Kazakhstan	8,000[26]
Pakistan	7,000[27]
Palau	7,000[28]
Brazil	4,000[26]
Languages
Languages of the Philippines, English
Religion
Predominantly Christianity (Roman Catholicism, Protestantism & Iglesia ni Cristo)  · Islam  · Non-religious
Related ethnic groups
Filipinos

An Overseas Filipino (Filipino: Pilipino sa Ibayong-dagat) is a person of Filipino origin who lives outside the Philippines. This term applies to Filipinos who are abroad indefinitely as citizens or as permanent residents of a different country and to those Filipino citizens abroad for a limited, definite period, such as on a work contract or as students.

Population[edit]

In 2013, the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) estimated that approximately 10.2 million people of Filipino descent lived or worked abroad.^[1] This number constitutes about 11 percent of the total population of the Philippines.^[29] It is one of the largest diaspora populations, spanning over 100 countries.^[30]

The overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) tend to be young and gender-balanced. Based on a survey conducted in 2011, the demographics indicate how the 24-29 age group constitutes 24 percent of the total and is followed by the 30-34 age group (23 percent) working abroad.^[31] Male OFWs account for 52 percent of the total OFW population. The slightly smaller percentage of the female overseas workers tend to be younger than their male counterparts.^[31] Production workers and service workers account for more than 80 percent of the labor outflows by 2010 and this number is steadily increasing, along with the trend for professional workers, who are mainly nurses and engineers.^[31]

The OFW population is consistently increasing through the years and this is partly attributed to the government's encouragement of the outflow of contractual workers as evidenced in policy pronouncements, media campaigns, and other initiatives.^[32] For instance, it describes the OFWs as the heroes of the nation, encouraging citizens to take pride in these workers.

Economic impact[edit]

In 2012, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), the central bank of the Philippines, expects official remittances coursed through banks and agents to grow 5% over 2011 to US$21 billion, but official remittances are only a fraction of all remittances.^[33] Remittances by unofficial, including illegal, channels are estimated by the Asian Bankers Association to be 30 to 40% higher than the official BSP figure.^[33] In 2011, remittances were US$20.117 billion.^[34]

In 2012, approximately 80% of the remittances came from only 7 countries—United States and Canada, the United Kingdom, UAE and Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and Japan.^[34]

Issues[edit]

Employment conditions[edit]

Employment conditions abroad are relevant to the individual worker and their families as well as for the sending country and its economic growth and well being. Poor working conditions for Filipinos hired abroad include long hours, low wages and few chances to visit family. Women often face disadvantages in their employment conditions as they tend to work in the elder/child care and domestic. These occupations are considered low skilled and require little education and training, thereby regularly facing poor working conditions. Women facing just working conditions are more likely to provide their children with adequate nutrition, better education and sufficient health. There is a strong correlation between women's rights and the overall well being of children. It is therefore a central question to promote women's rights in order to promote children's capabilities.^[35][36]

According to a statement made in 2009 by John Leonard Monterona, the Middle East coordinator of Migrante, a Manila-based OFW organization, every year, an unknown number of Filipinos in Saudi Arabia were then "victims of sexual abuses, maltreatment, unpaid salaries, and other labor malpractices".^{[37][needs update]}

Government policy[edit]

Philippine Labor Migration Policy has historically focused on removing barriers for migrant workers to increase accessibility for employment abroad. Working conditions among Filipinos employed abroad varies depending on whether the host country acknowledges and enforces International labor standards. The standards are set by the ILO, which is an UN agency that 185 of the 193 UN members are part of. Labor standards vary greatly depending on host country regulations and enforcement. One of the main reasons for the large differences in labor standards is due to the fact that ILO only can register complaints and not impose sanctions on governments.

Emigration policies tend to differ within countries depending on if the occupation is mainly dominated by men or women. Occupations dominated by men tend to be driven by economic incentives whereas emigration policies aimed at women traditional tend to be value driven, adhering to traditional family roles that favors men's wage work. As women are regularly seen as symbols of national pride and dignity, governments tend to have more protective policies in sectors dominated by women. These policies risk to increase gender inequality in the Philippines and thereby this public policy work against women joining the workforce.^[38]

The Philippine government has recently opened up their public policy to promote women working abroad since the world's demand for domestic workers and healthcare workers has increased. This has led to the government reporting a recent increase in women emigrating from the Philippines. A healthcare problem arises as migrating women from the Philippines and other developing countries often create a nursing shortage in the home country. Nurse to patient ratio is down to 1 nurse to between 40 and 60 patients, in the 1990s the ratio was 1 nurse to between 15 and 20 patients. It seems inevitable that the healthcare sector looses experienced nurses as the emigration is increasing. The Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement is seen as a failure by most since only 7% of applicants or 200 nurses a year has been accepted on average – mainly due to resistance by domestic stakeholders and failed program implementation. The result is a "lose-lose" outcome where Philippine workers fail to leverage their skills and a worldwide shortage persists. Despite the fact that Japan has an aging population and many Filipinos want to work in Japan, a solution has not yet been found. The Japanese Nursing Association supports "equal or better" working conditions and salaries for Filipino nurses. In contrast, Yagi propose more flexible wages to make Filipinos more attractive on the Japanese job market.^{[39][40] [41]}

Results from a focus group in the Philippines shows that the positive impacts from migration of nurses is attributed to the individual migrant and his/her family, while the negative impacts are attributed to the Filipino healthcare system and society in general. In order to fill the nursing shortage in the Philippines, suggestions have been made by several NGOs that nursing-specializing Filipino workers overseas, locally known as "overseas Filipino workers" (OFWs), return to the country to train local nurses, for which program training would be required in order for the Philippines to make up for all its nurses migrating abroad.^[41]

Host country policies[edit]

Wealthier households derive a larger share of their income from abroad. This might suggest that government policies in host countries favor capital-intensive activities. Even though work migration is mainly a low and middle class activity, the high-income households are able to derive a larger share of their income from abroad due to favorable investment policies. These favorable investment policies causes an increase in income inequalities and do not promote domestic investments that can lead to increased standard of living. This inequality threatens to halt the economic development as investments are needed in the Philippines and not abroad in order to increase growth and well-being. A correlation between successful contribution to the home country's economy and amounted total savings upon the migrants return has been found, therefore it is important to decrease income inequalities while attracting capital from abroad to the Philippines.^[39][42]

Many host governments of OFWs have protective policies and barriers making it difficult to enter the job market. Japan has been known for rigorous testing of Filipinos in a way that make them look reluctant to hold up their part of the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement and solely enjoy the benefit of affordable manufacturing in the Philippines, not accepting and educating OFWs.^[40]

Return migration[edit]

Returning migrant workers are often argued to have a positive effect on the home economy since they are assumed to gain skills and return with a new perspective. Deskilling has caused many Filipino workers to return less skilled after being assigned simple tasks abroad, this behavior creates discouragement for foreign workers to climb the occupational ladder. Deskilling of labor is especially prevalent among women who often have few and low skill employment options, such as domestic work and child or elder care. Other occupations that recently has seen an increase in deskilling are doctors, teachers and assembly line workers.^[39]

To underline what a common problem this deskilling is: Returning migrant workers are calling for returnee integration programs, which suggests that they do not feel prepared to be re-integrated in the domestic workforce.^[38]

As the Philippines among other countries who train and export labor repeatedly has faced failures in protecting labor rights, the deskilling of labor has increased on a global scale. A strong worldwide demand for healthcare workers causes many Filipinos to emigrate without ever getting hired or become deskilling while possibly raising their salary. The result is a no-win situation for the sending and receiving country. The receiving countries lose as skilled workers are not fully utilizing their skills while the home country simultaneously experience a shortage of workers in emigrating prone sectors.^[40]

Countries with Filipino populations[edit]

•  Australia: In the 2016 Census, there were 232,386 Filipino Australians.^[7]
•  Austria: As of 2007, there are 30,000 Filipinos in Austria.^{[citation needed]}
•  Brazil: As of 2016^[update] there were about 4,000.^{[citation needed]}
•  Canada: See Filipino Canadians.
•  Denmark: As of 2016^[update] there were at least 8,000 Filipinos in Denmark.^[43]
•  Faroe Islands: As of 2017, a total of about 300 Asian women (from the Philippines and Thailand) are living in the Faroe Islands, married to local men (no numbers given of how many women from each of the two Asian countries).^[44]
•  Finland: In 2017, there were 4,346 people in Finland with a Filipino background.^[45]
•  Greece: See Filipinos in Greece
•  Hong Kong: As of 2016 Census, there were 184,081 Filipinos in Hong Kong.^[8]
•  Ireland: As of 2013^[update] there were 13,973 Filipinos in Ireland.^[1]
•  Italy: There are 113,686 persons of Filipino descent in Italy
•  Japan: As of 2017^[update] the Philippine government confirmed there were 237,103 Filipinos in Japan.^[46]
•  Lebanon: As of 2013^[update] there were 29,144 Filipinos in Lebanon.^[1]

Filipino Market in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.

•  Malaysia: See Filipinos in Malaysia
•  Mexico: There are approximately 1,200 Filipino nationals who live in Mexico. In addition, there exists a community of Filipino immigration to Mexico during the colonial period. More recently, there were Filipinos who arrived as refugees to Mexico who fled from the Marcos dictatorship. Their communities are found in Guerrero, Michoacán, and Colima.^{[citation needed]}
•    Nepal: There are approximately 300 Filipinos in Nepal.^{[citation needed]}
•  New Zealand: As of 2013^[update] there were about 40,000 Filipino New Zealanders in New Zealand.^[1]
•  Nigeria: See Filipinos in Nigeria
•  Norway: As of 2013^[update] there were about 18,000 Filipinos in Norway,^[1] most of them living in the Oslo urban area. In addition to Filipinos who have intermarried with Norwegians, there are at least 900 licensed Filipino nurses, over a hundred oil engineers employed mostly in offshore projects in the western coast of Norway and Filipinos or Norwegians of Filipino descent working in the government sector, diplomatic missions and NGO's and commercial establishments.^{[citation needed]}
•  Oman: See Filipinos in Oman
•  Qatar: As of 2014, there were approximately 195,000 Filipinos in Qatar.^[47]

Lucky Plaza mall in Orchard Road hosts products and services that cater for Overseas Filipinos in Singapore.

•  Singapore: As of 2017^[update], over 175,000 Overseas Filipinos in Singapore.^{[not in citation given][1]}
•  South Korea: As of 2017^[update] there were about 63,000 Filipinos in South Korea.^[1]
•  Spain: There are about 40,000 Filipino nationals in Spain. In addition, thousands more hold dual citizenship.
•  Sweden: As of 2013^[update] there were about 13,000 Filipinos in Sweden.^[1]
•  Taiwan: As of 2016^[update] there were about 78,000 Filipinos in Taiwan
•  United Kingdom: See Filipinos in the United Kingdom. Nurses and caregivers have begun migrating to the United Kingdom in recent years. The island nation has welcomed thousands of nurses and various other occupations from the Philippines during the past 5 years. Many Filipino seamen settled in British port cities during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Liverpool even had an area nicknamed 'Little Manila'.^[48]
•  United States: As of 2010^[update] there were 3.4 million Filipinos in the United States, including those of partial descent.^[1] Despite race relation problems of the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the American Northwest, most Filipino Americans today find it easy to integrate into American society, with the vast majority belonging to the middle class. Filipinos are the second-largest Asian American group in the country.^[49] The United States hosts the largest population of Filipinos outside the Philippines, with a Historic Filipinotown in Los Angeles designated in August 2002, the first district established outside the Philippines to honor and recognize the area's Filipino community.^[50][51]
•  Venezuela: As of 2013^[update] there were about 200 Filipinos living in Venezuela.^[1]

See also[edit]

• Human migration

Work Cited[edit]

Further reading[edit]

• Terry, William. "The perfect worker: discursive makings of Filipinos in the workplace hierarchy of the globalized cruise industry". Social & Cultural Geography. 15 (1): 73–79. doi:10.1080/14649365.2013.864781. Retrieved 5 March 2007. 

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Filipino diaspora.

General statistics from Philippine government[edit]

• POEA2004 ^{a b c d e f g h i} "Stock Estimate of Filipinos Overseas". Philippine Overseas Employment Administration. 2004. Archived from the original (MS Excel) on 2005-12-18. Retrieved 2007-08-01.  (overseas Filipinos working and/or living overseas):
  • 3,187,586 stay permanently, 3,599,257 stay for work contracts, and 1,296,972 stay irregularly (without proper documents), which make a sum of 8,083,815.
• Press release on the 2004 Survey on Overseas Filipinos, Philippine Statistics Authority, on OFWs:
  • 1.06 million Overseas Filipino Workers
  • 33.4% are unskilled workers, 15.4% are Trades and related workers, 15.1% are plant and machine operators and assemblers.
  • 49.3% are males, 50.7% are females.
  • Remittances are 64.7 billion Philippine pesos (equaled 1.2 billion USD then)
• Deployed Landbased Overseas Filipino Workers by Destination (New hires and Rehires) (MS Excel format), Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, 2005, on OFWs:
  • 733,970 are landbased, 247,707 are seabased, which make a sum of 981,677. There is a 5.15% growth since 2004's 933,588.
  • Remittances are 9,727,138,000 USD. There is a 26.6% growth since 2004.
• List of Additional Reports from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration Statistics Page

From other sources[edit]

• ^{a b} AUS - "1301.0 - Year Book Australia, 2012 - Population - Country of Birth". Australia Bureau of Statistics. 2012. Retrieved 2013-08-30. .
• ^a GWM - "Country Profile: Guam - People". CIA Factbook. Retrieved 2007-05-12. .
• ^a LBN - Maila Ager (3 August 2006). "'Standby fund' for OFWs in Lebanon gets House committee nod". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on 11 October 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-09. .
• ^a NZL - "QuickStats About Culture and Identity". Statistics New Zealand Tatauranga Aotearoa. 3 August 2006. Archived from the original on 2007-08-29. Retrieved 2007-05-12. .
• ^a SAU - "Table 29. Stock Estimate of Filipinos Overseas As of December 2006" (PDF). Philippine Overseas Employment Administration. 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-02-08. Retrieved 2007-09-01. .
• ^{a b} TWN - Alien Workers in Taiwan-Fukien Area by Industry and Nationality (JPG and PDF format), 2006 February, CLA, Taiwan.
• ^a MAL - "Table 29. Stock Estimate of Filipinos Overseas As of December 2006" (PDF). Philippine Overseas Employment Administration. 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-02-08. Retrieved 2007-09-01. .
• USA
  • ^a1 "Selected Population Profile in the United States - Population Group: Filipino alone or in any combination". U.S. Census Bureau. 2005. Retrieved 2007-05-09. Population Group: Filipino alone or in any combination - Total population: 288,378,137 .
  • ^{b1 b2} United States Census Bureau (2007). "Background Note: Philippines". U.S. Department of State, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. Retrieved 2006-11-04. There are an estimated four million Americans of Filipino ancestry in the United States, and more than 250,000 American citizens in the Philippines. 
• ^a ARE – Jose N. Franco Jr (28 April 2007). "Jan–Feb 2007 remittances by Filipinos in Dubai grow 96pc". Khaleej Times. Retrieved 2007-05-09. 
• ^a AUS – "Year Book Australia, 2007 Contents >> Population >> Country of birth". Australia Bureau of Statistics. 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-08. 
• ^a CAN – "Population by Ethnic Origin". Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. Archived from the original on 2007-04-09. Retrieved 2007-05-08. 
• ^a GWM – "Country Profile: Guam – People". CIA Factbook. Retrieved 2007-05-12. 
• ^a IRL – Central Statistics Office Ireland. "Principal Statistics of Ireland by nationality". Retrieved 2007-04-12. 
• ^a ITA – Lawrence Casiraya. "Microsoft training centers cater to 200,000 OFWs in Italy". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 2007-08-14. ^{[permanent dead link]}
• ^a JPN – "Undocumented Filipinos cross the great divide in Japan". Philippines Today. Retrieved 2007-05-09. 
• ^a LBN – Maila Ager (3 August 2006). "'Standby fund' for OFWs in Lebanon gets House committee nod". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on 11 October 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-09. 
• ^a NZL – "QuickStats About Culture and Identity". Statistics New Zealand Tatauranga Aotearoa. 3 August 2006. Archived from the original on 2007-08-29. Retrieved 2007-05-12. 
• ^a ROK – "Secretary Albert Assures Filipinos in Korea of Continued Government Protection for Their Interests". Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs. 3 August 2006. Archived from the original on 2007-08-05. Retrieved 2007-05-12. 
• ^a SAU – "International Religious Freedom Report 2005 – Saudi Arabia". Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, U.S. Department of State. 2005. Retrieved 2007-05-09. 
• ^a TWN – Alien Workers in Taiwan-Fukien Area by Industry and Nationality (JPG and PDF format), 2006 February, CLA, Taiwan.
• USA
  • ^a1 "Selected Population Profile in the United States – Population Group: Filipino alone or in any combination". U.S. Census Bureau. 2005. Retrieved 2007-05-09. Population Group: Filipino alone or in any combination: 2,807,731 
  • ^b1 United States Census Bureau (May 2007). "Background Note: Philippines". U.S. Department of State, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. Retrieved 2007-09-02. There are an estimated four million Americans of Filipino ancestry in the United States, and more than 250,000 American citizens in the Philippines. 
• Overseas Filipino