Migration of Filipinos

Philippines is among the largest migrant countries of origin in the world. Over the past years,
outward migration has shaped Philippine society in many ways. Initially intended as a temporary
measure to boost economic development, migration is now a major contributing economic force.
In the past decades, labor migration has had positive and negative effects on the Philippines.
There are 10 million Filipinos residing abroad and more than 1 million Filipino leave the country
each year to work abroad. Migration has increased to over 10% of the Philippine population, or
more than 10 million Filipinos, changing the social and cultural environment of the country. While
it endorses the global character of the Philippines, labor migration has put apart Filipino seafarers
and Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) from their families for periods. Limited employment
chances in the Philippines encourage Filipinos to chase a brighter future abroad. Aside from the
financial motivations, Filipinos migrate for their wish to live abroad, personal growth and many
other reasons.