All You Need to Know About Overseas Filipino Workers

Every year, Filipinos leave their country to work overseas in various employment opportunities. This is attributed to the fact that they are looking for better employment opportunities, or they just want to live in a different country. Some of them leave for a short period, but others tag their families along and spend the better part of their lives in foreign countries. This is the reason you can easily spot a Filipino in any country that you go to.

Regardless of the career that you have taken, chances of finding a colleague from this country are quite high. If you have never worked in the same organization with Filipinos, you may want to know about some of the things that make them an integral part of any work environment across the world.

The number of Overseas Filipino Workers rises each year

According to government statistics since 2010, the number of Filipinos who move to work in a foreign country has been on the rise over the past five years. There is a steady increase which symbolizes the important role that these workers play in the many countries where they spend their lives. It can be attributed to a number of situations. For instance, it may be because local professionals are inspired by the success of those who work abroad and therefore, they constantly seek opportunities to leave their country. On the other hand, it may be because Filipinos are good employees and therefore, employers always open their doors for more.

The Middle East is the largest employer of Overseas Filipinos

Government statistics also show that a majority of those who work overseas are based in the Middle East and South East Asia. Saudi Arabia is the number one employer of Filipinos who works in various organizations. It is followed closely by the United Arab Emirates. The fact that almost all the top ten countries on this list come from this region shows how important it is to Filipinos.

Other leading employers include Singapore, Qatar, Malaysia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Taiwan. However, this does not mean that Filipinos do not work in other countries. There are many of them in America, Europe, Australia, and Africa.

They are major contributors to their economy

Overseas Filipino Workers play a major role in building the economy of their country. Looking at their annual remittances, they are a steady earner of foreign exchange for their country and have played a major role in growing their economy. This is the reason they have the full backing of their government. They are well taken care of by the embassies in the countries where they work and disputes are always handled diplomatically.

Conclusion

Looking at the classification of Overseas Filipino Workers, one can easily see that they work in every aspect of the economy. Although most of them are domestic workers, some of them work as doctors, engineers, financial consultants, teachers, technicians, community developers and many other big roles that shape the economy.