how many people leave the philippines each year

In the 90s in the Philippines, at least 2,500 citizens leave each day to earn their living in foreign lands. Many times you will see a couple of persons in a family usually working and residing abroad. The same is a fact with other regions in Asia and other poorer places in the world. What are the factors influencing this exodus of citizens from one region to the other?

The first factor is for financial reasons. The OFW category belong in this section.  These are workers who want to obtain a better life. Alluring openings like high paying jobs, better working situations and finer standards of living.  The second most permanent factor, the capitulation and hopelessness of the political, law and order, corruption in our country leaves the whole family to leave the Philippines altogether.  All of these tempt many people to go abroad.  These are the permanent migrants who renew their citizenships altogether.

OFW NUMBERS

The Philippines sent 1.1 million workers abroad in 2007, the same as in 2006, meaning that an average of 3,000 Filipinos a day left for foreign jobs. They included 810,000 land-based migrants and 264,000 sea-based migrants. Recruiters say that Filipino migrant workers account for 30 percent of the air passengers entering and leaving the Philippines.
Filipinos are about 28 percent of those manning the world's ships. Most seamen work on eight- to 10-month contracts, earning at least $1,100 a month. About 20 percent each are deployed on cruise ships and bulk carrier ships, followed by 13 percent each on container ships and tankers; most carry crews of 21, seven workers for each of three shifts.

 

 

The government reports migrant outflow data in several ways. About 312,000 land-based migrants, 38 percent, were going abroad for the first time; the other 498,000 were rehires who had been employed abroad before. About half of those being deployed for the first time were classified as service workers, a third were production workers, and an eighth were professional and technical workers.

The leading destination for Filipinos leaving in 2007 was Saudi Arabia, which took almost 30 percent of Filipino migrants, followed by Hong Kong, 15 percent; UAE, 11 percent; and Italy and Singapore, seven percent each. Remittances were $13 billion in 2007, up slightly from 2006.

Some 8,000 nurses went abroad in 2007, including 6,100 to Saudi Arabia. The Philippines Health Secretary, Francisco Duque, estimated in January 2008 that 85 percent of the newly graduated nurses leave the country each year. Most go to the oil-exporting countries of the Middle East, but many want to go to Europe or North America, including some doctors and MBA graduates who are retraining as nurses in order to improve their chances of going abroad.

According to the dataset used in migrationinformation.org, Filipino workers are remarkably dispersed worldwide (see Figure 1). Saudi Arabia is the largest single destination, with 29 percent of the total, and Hong Kong comes in second with 12 percent. But no other destination accounts for more than 11 percent of the total. The only other countries accounting for six percent or more are Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, and the United States. In addition to the countries in Figure 1, Filipinos are reported to be working in an additional 38 countries worldwide, including Chile, Zambia, and Papua New Guinea. 

On average, Filipino overseas workers are 34 years old; 38 percent are single and 53 percent are male. "Production and related workers" and "domestic servants" are the two largest occupational categories, each accounting for 31 percent of the total. 

In terms of household position, the most common categories are male heads of household and daughters of the household head, each accounting for 28 percent of overseas workers; sons of household heads account for 15 percent, female household heads or spouses of household heads 12 percent, and other relations 16 percent (see Figure 2). 

Some 10 percent of the country's population – 7.41 million as of December 2001 – live and work abroad. In the late 1990s, the yearly deployment of Filipino workers averaged 800,000 each year. In 2003, 867,969 left to find work in more than 100 destinations. In the same year, some $7.6 billion worth of remittances were ploughed back into the economy, a major boost to the country's lifeline.

 

Table 1. Annual Deployment of Filipino Workers, 1975-2004*

Year Land-based Sea-based Total 1975 12,501 23,534 36,035 1976 19,221 28,614 47,835 1977 36,676 33,699 70,375 1978 50,961 37,280 88,241 1979 92,519 44,818 137,337 1980 157,394 57,196 214,590 1981 210,936 55,307 266,243 1982 250,115 64,169 314,284 1983 380,263 53,594 434,207 1984 300,378 50,604 350,982 1985 320,494 52,290 372,784 1986 323,517 54,697 378,214 1987 382,229 67,042 449,271 1988 385,117 85,913 471,030 1989 355,346 103,280 458,626 1990 334,883 111,212 446,095 1991 489,260 125,759 615,019 1992 549,655 136,806 686,461 1993 550,872 145,758 696,030 1994 564,031 154,376 718,407 1995 488,173 165,401 653,574 1996 484,653 175,469 660,122 1997 559,227 188,469 747,696 1998 638,343 193,300 831,643 1999 640,331 196,689 837,020 2000 643,304 198,324 841,628 2001 662,648 204,951 867,599 2002 682,315 209,593 891,908 2003 651,938 216,031 867,969 2004 704,586 229,002 933,588 *Figures for 1975 to 1983 refer to number of contracts processed; figures for 1984 to 2004 refer to number of workers deployed abroad. Sources: Table 5 (Battistella, 1995:265) for figures from 1975 to 1983; available online for figures from 1983 to 2003; and for 2004 data. Internet sources were accessed on 12 September 2005.

The data on deployed workers include seafarers, who account for some 20 percent of all OFWs leaving the country every year (see Table 2). Filipinos dominate the industry: 25 percent of the world's seafarers are from the Philippines. 

Table 2. Regional Distribution of Land-based Overseas Filipino Workers, 2004*

Region Numbers Percent Asia 266,609 37.84 Middle East 352,314 50.00 Europe 55,116 7.82 Americas 11,692 1.66 Africa 8,485 1.20 Trust Territories 7,177 1.02 Oceania 3,023 0.43 Others 170 0.02 Total 704,586 100.00 *Based on combined data for new hires and rehires. Source:see below

Table : Number of households, household population and average household size of Filipino Households with and without overseas workers (by region, 2000 Census)

Regions	With Overseas Workers			Without Overseas Workers
	No of Household	Household population	Avg. household size	No. of households	Household population	Avg. household size
Philippines	800,051	4,690,940	5.86	14,478,757	71,641,530	4.95
National Capital Region	135,294	735,901	5.44	1,997,695	9,144,201	4.58
Cordillera Administrative Region	16,987	102,441	6.03	246,864	1,258,170	5.10
Ilocos Region	76,021	452,907	5.96	755,528	3,743,369	4.95
Cagayan Valley	36,136	212,926	5.89	518,355	2,596,594	5.01
Central Luzon	112,710	648,438	5.75	1,519,337	7,372,887	4.85
Southern Tagalog	145,169	817,637	5.63	2,267,874	10,946,609	4.83
Bicol Region	31,686	197,324	6.23	862,147	4,483,787	5.20
Western Visayas	68,676	419,883	6.11	1,143,128	5,782,548	5.06
Central Visayas	51,237	314,792	6.14	1,082,530	5,375,022	4.97
Eastern Visayas	17,840	106,583	5.97	697,230	3,497,125	5.02
Western Mindanao	18,669	119,309	6.39	577,162	2,966,013	5.14
Northern Mindanao	12,235	73,990	6.05	529,836	2,669,904	5.04
Southern Mindanao	28,839	170,032	5.90	1,037,360	5,011,267	4.83
Central Mindanao	17,625	110,634	6.28	484,245	2,480,838	5.12
Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao	22,269	153,407	6.89	371,000	2,257,438	6.08
CARAGA	8,468	53,626	6.33	384,894	2,037,879	5.29

 

 

 

Source: National Statistics Office (in Carmencita Ericta et al, 2003)

Note: the number of overseas workers in the 2000 Census was 992,397. Male overseas workers have a little advantage over their female counterparts in terms of percentage – 50.27 percent versus 49.73 percent. This translates to a sex ratio of 101 male overseas workers for every 101 female overseas workers.

What about Filipinos that left the Philippines for good?

• United States. Despite race relations problems of the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the American Northwest, most Filipino Americans today find it easy to integrate with American society. The population is estimated to be 2,807,731^.  However, this number is speculated to be at 4.5 million, according to many Filipino American organizations, with 1 million who are illegally in the USA. They are also the second largest Asian-American subgroup only after the Chinese. Filipinos are also the second largest immigrant group up to this day. They remain active in many issues, including the controversial immigration policies. In 2006, the United States Congress hailed the 100th year of Filipino migration to the nation. An average of 85,000 Filipinos migrate to the US annually as legal permanent residents, while an estimated of 400,000 visit for business and pleasure.

• Canada. Only a small population of Filipinos resided in Canada until the late 20th century. There are currently between 300,000 to 350,000 Filipino Canadians and immigrants in Canada. They are also the third largest Asian Canadian subgroup in the nation.

• Italy. There are more than 200,000 Filipinos in Italy.  Filipinos are scattered all over Italy, particularly in Rome and Milan.

• Spain. With around 70,000 citizens, the Filipinos form the 2nd largest Asian community in Spain behind the Chinese. Although many Filipinos did immigrate or ran away to Spain after the United States took over the islands in 1898, most of the Filipinos moved to the old metropoli during the 1960s and 1970s seeking jobs, which in many cases were related to housekeeping or industrial activities. There's also a significant group of Spaniards of Filipino origins (some of whom are from 3rd and 4th generations) including some famous people like Isabel Preysler, mother of famous singerEnrique Iglesias.

• Ireland. Ireland is seeing a growth in the Filipino community, with an estimate of 3,000. They are also the second largest Asian subgroup in the country.

• Hong Kong. There are 140,000 Filipinos in Hong Kong, of whom most are domestic helpers (30,000 of them being members of the Filipino Migrant Workers Union). Filipino maids are known by the locals as amahs, or more often feiyungs (less politely bun mui or bun bun). A Hong Kong work visa requires some amount of higher education; and in some cases Filipino women with college degrees and perfect command of English are willing to work as maids and nannies for a salary higher than they could make at home.

• Singapore. As many as 132,000 Overseas Filipinos work and reside in the nation-state of Singapore. Moreover, about 200,000 Filipinos visit the country annually, making them one of the biggest foreign tourists of Singapore.

• Taiwan. According to 2006 data of the government of the Republic of China (ROC), there are 96,000 of "foreign workers" from the Philippines. Of the 96,000 Filipinos in Taiwan, 58,704 are in manufacturing industries, and 34,602 are in social or personal services (eg. housekeeper)^.   According to 2004 data by the Philippine Government, there are 2,037 stay permanently, 154,135 stay for work contracts, and 4,500 stay irregularly, which make a sum of 160,672.

• Middle Eastern countries Many Filipinos work in as domestic and construction workers in the countries of the Gulf Co-operation Council. It is estimated that more than 2 million Filipinos have made the Middle East their home.

• Japan Some 500,000 Filipinos and Filipino-Japanese are listed to be living within Japan's geographic confines. However, this number is speculated to be larger, surpassing the one million mark, in relation to many unlisted and illegal Filipino nationals in the Land of the Rising Sun.

• South Korea In South Korea some 98,000 Overseas Filipinos work in different types of employment, particularly as housekeepers, educators, nurses, and caregivers. Historically, Filipinos were able to enter South Korea freely due to the visa-waiver agreement that previously existed between thePhilippines and South Korea. Aside from this number, there is an estimated 50,000 Filipinos who are unlisted due to their immigration status.

• Lebanon As many as 40,000 OFWs are working in the nation of Lebanon. Due to the recent turmoil between Lebanon and Israel, however, many have been repatriated back to the Philippines, while others have been relocated to Cyprus, a part of the Philippine evacuation plan.

• Australia In 2000 Australia recorded about 127,000 Filipinos and/or Filipino Australians.

• United Kingdom Nurses and caregivers have begun flocking into the United Kingdom these past years. The island-nation has welcomed about 20,000 nurses and other Filipinos of various employment and lifestyle during the past 5 years. The United Kingdom may be home to some 100,000 Filipino nationals.

• Greece The Filipino population in Greece has now reached 90,000, 85% of whom are women. This is according to estimates of Kasapi-Hellas, an organization of the Filipino migrant community there. Some 60%-70% of this population is undocumented. This number is set to increase with the implementation of a new law which limits to five years the maximum length of stay of migrant workers in Greece.

• Malaysia As Sabah is very close to the Philippines, there are many Filipino residents, as well as illegal immigrants there. Filipinos make up about 30% of the entire population of Sabah and they enumerate up to 900,000. Many of the Filipino residents come to work in construction industries, fisheries, and other labor intensive sectors in hopes of a better living. Most live in stilt slums scattered behind cities or on offshore islands. The Philippine government also has promised to establish a consulate provide any necessary help to its nationals. Historically, The Philippines has a dormant claim on the territory. Native Sabahans themselves are closely related to southern Filipinos^.

• New Zealand There are about 30,000 Filipino residents including Filipino New Zealanders, There is a small amount of Filipino maids and caregivers present in the country. The New Zealand government is very tight on the type of people coming in and out of the country. New Zealand has accommodated Filipino telecommunications as well as media. As in the other countries above, most either have The Filipino Channel (TFC), operated by ABS-CBN and/or GMA Pinoy TV.

• Norway People with Filipino background in Norway is estimated to about 9,000, most of them living in the Oslo urban area. Most of the Filipino immigrants to Norway are females, representing 76 % of the total of 9,000.

TOTAL FILIPINOS OVERSEAS SINCE 2004

3,187,586 stay permanently, 3,599,257 stay for work contracts, and 1,296,972 stay irregularly (without proper document), which make a sum of 8,083,815.

Overpopulation compounds the problem

In 1970, both the Philippines and Thailand had about 36 million residents. Today, the Philippines has over 90 million residents and Thailand has 66 million. Thailand is the world's leading rice exporter, and the Philippines is one of the leading importers of rice. In response to the surging price of rice in 2008, the Filipino government provided subsidized rice to those in families with per capita incomes below $24 a month.

http://www.migrationinformation.org/feature/display.cfm?ID=694

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The stock estimate of the overseas Filipino population came from the poea website data, which is unfortunately updated only until 2004.  Other sources include: ofwjournalism.net, wikipilipinas.org,

The Philippines is one of three countries of origin in Asia – along with Indonesia and Sri Lanka – where women comprise the majority of legal migrant workers deployed every year. In the case of the Philippines, women are the majority of the new hires (land-based) deployed every year.

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