F

OVERSEAS
FILIPINO WORKERS PROFILE

Prior to the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic, there acts

was an estimated 2.2 million Overseas Filipino Workers
(OFWs) according to the 2019 Survey on Overseas in
Filipinos (SOF) Report by the Philippine Statistics
Authority (PSA). OFWs with existing work employment
contracts, referred to as Overseas Contract Workers
(OCWs), comprised 96.8% or roughly 2.1 million, while
igures
only 3.2% or about 70,000 were those without contract. Congressional Policy and Budget Research Department
A slight decrease in the number of OFWs was noted in House of Representatives
2019 compared to 2017 and 2018 surveys (Table 1). January 2021 (No. 05)

Table 1. Number of Overseas Filipino Workers

2017-2019 group which increased its share to the total from 20.4%
Particulars 2017 2018 2019 in 2017 to 20.7% in 2019.
Number of Filipinos Overseas
2,339 2,299 2,202
(‘000)
Place of Origin and Place of Work. In 2019, most
Type of OFWs (Share, %) 100.0 100.0 100.0
OFWs were from Region IV-A (CALABARZON) which
Overseas Contract Workers NA 96.2 96.8
Other OFWs NA 3.8 3.2 accounted for 20.7% of the total, followed by Region
Elementary
Source: occupations
PSA Survey 37.6
of Overseas Filipinos Report 37.1
2017, 2018 and 201939.6 III (Central Luzon) at 13.3% (Table 4). On the other
hand, the regions with the smallest share of OFWs,
Gender and Age Profile. For the period 2017 - 2019, those with less than 2.0%, include Region IV-B
more than half of OFWs were female, indicating that (MIMAROPA); Region IX (Zamboanga Peninsula);
opportunities for foreign employment are available for Cordillera Adminsitrative Region (CAR); and Region
both Filipino men and women (Table 2). The share of XIII (Caraga). Generally, the trend has not changed for
female OFWs also increased over the period from the period 2017-2019.
53.7% in 2017 to 56.0% in 2019. Table 4
Distribution of OFWs by Region of Origin
Table 2. Distribution of OFWs by Gender 2017-2019
2017-2019 Particulars 2017 2018 2019
Particulars 2017 2018 2019
Number of Filipinos Overseas
Number of Filipinos Overseas 2,339 2,299 2,202
2,339 2,299 2,202 (‘000)
(‘000)
Place of Origin (Share, %) 100.0 100.0 100.0
Gender Profile (Share, %) 100.0 100.0 100.0
National Capital Region (NCR) 9.5 9.7 9.7
Male 46.3 44.2 44.0
Cordillera Administrative Region 2.3 1.8 1.9
Female 53.7 55.8 56.0 (CAR)
Source: PSA Survey of Overseas Filipinos Report 2017, 2018 and 2019 Region I (Ilocos Region) 9.0 9.7 8.8
Region II (Cagayan Valley) 6.8 6.5 6.2
By age group, around 60.0% of OFWs are within the
Region III (Central Luzon) 12.9 14.3 13.3
prime age of 25 to 39 years old (Table 3). Youth OFWs
Region IV-A (CALABARZON) 20.7 17.9 20.7
or those in the age group of 15-24 comprised about
MIMAROPA Region 1.8 1.8 1.5
6.0% of total OFWs. The age bracket 25-29 is the only
Region V (Bicol Region) 3.8 3.7 4.0
Region VI (Western Visayas) 9.5 8.9 9.0
Table 3. Distribution of OFWs by Age Group
Region VII (Central Visayas) 6.1 5.6 5.1
2017-2019
Particulars 2017 2018 2019 Region VIII (Eastern Visayas) 2.1 2.2 2.0
Number of Filipinos Overseas (‘000) 2,339 2,299 2,202 Region IX (Zamboanga 2.1 2.5 1.6
Age Group (Share, %) 100.0 100.0 100.0 Peninsula)
15 – 24 6.4 5.3 6.1 Region X (Northern Mindanao) 2.5 3.5 2.7

25 – 29 20.4 20.0 20.7 Region XI (Davao Region) 3.0 3.3 3.7

30 – 34 21.7 23.7 21.7 Region XII (SOCCSKSARGEN) 4.2 4.6 5.7

35 – 39 18.1 19.2 18.1 Region XIII (Caraga) 1.7 1.8 1.9

40 – 44 16.1 14.3 16.1 Bangsamoro Autonomous 1.9 2.1 2.3

Region in Muslim Mindanao
45 and over 17.4 17.5 17.4 (BARMM)
Source: PSA Survey of Overseas Filipinos Report 2017, 2018 and 2019 Source: PSA Survey of Overseas Filipinos Report 2017, 2018 and 2019
While Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates (UAE) Table 6
have remained the top country destinations for the Distribution of OFWs by Major Occupation
2017-2019
period 2017-2019, their shares to the total(s) have
Particulars 2017 2018 2019
generally declined over the period (Table 5). On the Number of Filipinos
other hand, the shares of other top country destinations Overseas 2,339 2,299 2,202
such as Hongkong, Taiwan, Europe and North and (‘000)
South America have generally increased over the same Nature of Work (Share, %) 100 100 100
period. Managers 1.1 1.1 1.1
Professionals 8.7 9.0 8.5
Table 5
Distribution of OFWs by Place of Work Abroad Technicians and associate 5.8 7.0 8.7
2017-2019 professionals
Particulars 2017 2018 2019 Clerical support workers 3.4 3.8 3.4
Number of Filipinos Service and sales workers 18.0 18.8 17.5
Overseas 2,339 2,299 2,202
Skilled agricultural forestry 0.4 0.2 0.8
(‘000)
and fishery workers
Place of Work (Share, %) 100.0 100.0 100.0
Craft and related trade 11.4 9.2 8.1
Africa 1.1 0.9 1.0 workers
Asia 85.5 82.6 81.1 Plant and machine 13.7 13.8 12.2
East Asia operators and assemblers
Hong Kong 6.3 6.5 7.5
Elementary occupations 37.6 37.1 39.6
Japan 3.3 4.9 3.8 Source: PSA Survey of Overseas Filipinos Report 2017, 2018 and 2019

Taiwan 5.5 3.8 6.7

Other countries in East 3.7 3.7 3.7 Total remittances of OFWs in 2019 reached P211.9 billion,
Asia (including China,
South Korea) slightly lower than the total remittances of P235.9 billion in
Southeast and South 2018 (Table 7). The share of remittances sent through
Central Asia
Malaysia 2.4 1.7 2.1 banks or other remittance platforms to total remittances
Singapore 4.9 5.3 4.1 increased from 71.6% in 2017 to 74.5% in 2019.
Other countries in OFWs in elementary occupations recorded a combined
Southeast and South 1.8
Central Asia (including
1.7 2.5 remittance of P42.8 billion; followed by those in the
Brunei) service and sales at P24.5 billion; plant and machine
Western Asia operations at P24.1 billion; technicians and associate
Kuwait 5.7 6.7 6.2
professionals at P24.0 billion; and professionals at
Qatar 5.2 5.5 5.6
P18.6 billion.
Saudi Arabia 24.4 25.4 22.4
United Arab Emirates 15.7 25.4 13.2
Other countries in Table 7
Western Asia (including 4.0 Total Remittances of OFWs
4.0 4.3 2017-2019
Bahrain, Israel,
Lebanon,Jordan) Particulars 2017 2018 2019
Australia 1.6 2.1 2.1 Total Remittances (in Billion
205.1 235.8 211.9
Europe 6.4 7.8 7.7 Pesos)
North and South America 5.4 6.6 8.1 By Type of Remittance
Source: PSA Survey of Overseas Filipinos Report 2017, 2018 and 2019 Cash sent 146.8 169.4 157.9
Cash brought home 48.2 55.2 46.7
In kind 10.1 11.2 7.3
Nature of Work and Remittances. In 2019, the largest
By Nature of Work (Cash Sent)
proportion of OFWs hold elementary occupations1 or
Managers NA 2.6 1.0
those who are considered skilled workers (39.6%); Professionals NA 19.5 18.6
followed by service and sales workers (17.5%), and plant Technicians and NA 19.1 24.0
and machine operators and assemblers (12.2%) (Table associate professionals
Clerical support workers NA 6.9 4.8
6). There are relatively few OFWs holding managerial
Service and sales workers NA 27.2 24.5
or supervisory positions (1.1%) and even fewer skilled Skilled agricultural
workers in the agriculture, forestry and fishery sectors forestry and fishery NA 0.10 1.1
workers
abroad (0.8%). Craft and related trade
NA 21.6 16.9
Workers
Plant and machine NA 31.3 24.1
1
Elementary occupations involve the performance of simple and
operators and assemblers
routine tasks which may require the use of hand-held tools and
Elementary occupations NA 41.1 42.8
considerable physical effort. PSA/Philippine Standard Occupational
Classifications. Source: PSA Survey of Overseas Filipinos Report 2017, 2018 and 2019