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Labor Migration:
The Philippine Experience
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Contents of Presentation

• Introduction
• OFWs: The New Development Actor
• Managing Migration Flows
• Reaping Development Gains
• Challenges to All Migration Actors
• Closing Thoughts
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Introduction

Labor Migration
 Defined as a cross-border
movement for purposes of
employment in a foreign
country. The term “Economic
Migrant” is sometimes used as
equivalent to the term labor
migrant or migrant workers.
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 Movements of people have been
influenced by push & pull factors such
as inadequate income levels, better
jobs available in abroad, opening of
borders, easier mobility due to better
communications and transportations
infrastructure and increasing needs for
services around the world.
 It is estimated that there are 191
million migrants worldwide and that
they comprise 3.0% of the global
population
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OFW’s: The New Development Actors
 The Philippines has people in practically every corner
of the world (221 countries) and one of the highest
rates of out migration.
 In 2013, there are more than 10M Filipinos abroad.
 4.31M in the Americas and Trust Territories
 2.48M in the Middle East Countries.
 1.66M in South East Asia.
 866 thousand in Europe.
 474 thousand in Oceania.
 59 thousand in Africa.
 367 thousand in sea-based OFW’s around the world.
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 48% or 4.86M of these migrants are

immigrants or legal permanent
residence abroad are concentrated in
highly developed countries like US and
Trust Territories.
 41% or 4.2M are temporary migrants
mostly found in the Middle East
Countries & neighboring countries like
Japan, Hong Kong and Malaysia.
 11% or 1.16M are irregular or
undocumented workers majority
appeared in the US and Southeast Asia.
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Managing Migration Flows
 State policy to promote and protect the
welfare of Filipinos abroad:
 RA 8042: Migrant Workers and
Overseas Filipino Act of 1995
An Anti-illegal Recruitment Program
 Reform Package for Household and
Service Workers
 Maximize the benefits and minimize the
costs
 Preference for circular or temporary
migration
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REGULATION PROTECTION

 Licensing  Pre-employment and pre-

 Standards departure orientation
 Posting of Bonds  Health, life insurance,
 Employment of housing and social
Contracts security
 Bilateral Agreements  On-site assistance
 6-months notice for • Contract violations
deployment of critical • Maltreatment
skills • Trainings
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REINTEGRATION FAMILY SUPPORT

 Loans  OFW family circles

 Counselling  Communication facilities
 Training  Entrepreneurship
 Scholarships assistance
 Socio-economic policies:  Scholarships
• Property rights
• Rights to vote
• Investment
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Reaping Development Gains
Managed Migration Development

REMITTANCES
3RD Biggest Receiving
Country
(US$ ≈ 24Billion)
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Reaping Development Gains
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Reaping Development Gains
 Micro – View Level
 Education of Children
 Housing
 Higher household income
 Lower poverty incidence in areas with high
concentration of OFW households
 Spillover effects on communities
 Community support from diaspora
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Reaping Development Gains
 Limited productive use
of remittances  Services & technology to
 High remittance lower costs
transaction costs
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Challenge to All Migration Actors
ACTORS ACTION AREAS

 Migrants  Follow through ASEAN commitments

 Governments  Support for knowledge and skills acquisition
 Facilitating remittance flows
 Home Countries
 Access to Technology
 Receiving Countries
 Reasonable communication costs
 Civil Society  Integration during work tenure
 Private Sector  Preparing for return and re-integration
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Closing Thoughts
The reality of global integration simply denies any option
but to facilitate the migration flows so that every actor in
the migration process gains more than loses.

The Philippines faces the reality by guaranteeing the

workers are willing and have the opportunity to use their
acquired skills abroad upon return to the country.

It is necessary that policies, strategies and incentives are

in place so that temporary migrants are attracted to
return to the home country and become potent actors in
development.
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References:
 https://www.iom.int/jahia/webdav/shared/shared/...labour.../paper_calzado.pdf
 Stock Estimate of Overseas Filipinos (2013) by Commission on Filipinos
Overseas

Salamat Po!
END OF PRESENTATION