Philippines’ labor outflow continues

SINGAPORE – With a policy that neither encourages nor discourages its citizens from working abroad, the Philippines, despite what many view as having a flourishing economy, is likely to remain a vacation country for millions of so-called overseas Filipino workers.

“If I have no other alternative, then, maybe, I’ll work here forever,” Jeff, a 34-year-old Filipino who has been working in the information technology industry in Singapore since 2009, said in a recent interview with Kyodo News, requesting to be identified by his nickname.

“I plan to stay here for two more years,” echoed Belle, a 33-year-old Filipino maid in Singapore who also requested to be identified by her nickname.

Just like most of the more than 10 million Filipino migrants working in nearly 200 countries and territories, Jeff and Belle said they were willing to leave behind their families in exchange for the “much higher” salaries they get in Singapore.

“Of course, I miss my husband and daughter. But I decided to come here because, with the salary that I’m getting, I can support my family and even my relatives,” Belle said, adding that she comes from the northern Philippine province of Ilocos Norte where she used to work as a domestic worker.

Belle currently earns S$550 (around $430) per month, with a guaranteed additional payment of S$50 if she also works on Sundays. She has been working in Singapore since 2008.

Domestic workers back home, particularly those employed in the capital Manila, earn $60 per month, with those employed elsewhere in the country receiving between $35 and $48.

Jeff was a contractual employee in Manila about to be hired as a regular staff member when he first heard about salaries in the IT sector in Singapore.

“My main motivation is the pay. For my first job here in 2009, I earned 2.5 times more than what I had received in Manila,” Jeff said.

Of the more than 10 million Filipino migrants, who, in 2012, sent at least $22 billion back home to the Philippines, some 2 million are contract workers while the rest are already based in their respective host countries.

Singapore, which lies west of the Philippines across the South China Sea, was the No. 3 destination of Filipino contract workers in 2012, after Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.

During the same year, household service workers topped the group of deployed new hires, at 155,831, followed by nurses, at 15,655.

Belle and Jeff acknowledged hearing recent reports about the improving economy in the Philippines, including the 6.8 percent growth in gross domestic product last year.

In his remarks while attending the World Economic Forum on East Asia early this month in Myanmar, President Benigno Aquino boasted of the country’s soaring stock market over the past three years and the 7.8 percent GDP growth in the first quarter of this year.

He also shared how analysts have called the Philippines a “hotspot,” “Asia’s rising tiger” and “the brightest spark in Southeast Asia.”

While Jeff and Belle welcome the positive news, they admit they have yet to see it transform their home country into an environment that will directly offer them the same opportunity and benefits they are enjoying now in a foreign land.

“Do the people there really feel the flourishing economy? I think it’s still difficult to find a good job there,” Belle said.

While his friends working in the IT sector in the Philippines now might be earning as much as he does in Singapore, Jeff said he might have to wait for the right opportunity before going home for his own long-term security.

“If I can really find a job in the Philippines, I would be happy to go back. If I can find a job that will offer at least 70 percent of what I am currently receiving here, for sure, I’ll take it,” he said.

The improving economy in the Philippines is giving Jeff some amount of optimism. He believes that if investments start coming in and more companies set up offices in the country, more jobs will be available, including probably one for him.

“Because of the business confidence and elimination of red tape and improvement in the ease of doing business, many multinational companies will set up centers in the Philippines. So, there will be more employment opportunities for IT people. If there is competition, then salaries might increase,” Jeff said.

Philippine Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Migrant and Workers Affairs Jesus Yabes said many of those who leave the Philippines are in a similar situation to Jeff of failing to find their preferred opportunities in the country.

However, he said the country is not out of job opportunities, and in fact, more will be available because of the growing economy.

“Since the economy is moving fast, actually, the fastest in the region now, we just have to wait because the effects will not be felt immediately overnight,” Yabes said. “So, if there will be more jobs here, why would you still leave?”

Looking forward to be personally taking care of her daughter two years from now instead of her employers’ children, Belle said she is saving now as much as she can from her salary so she can start a business when she finally returns home for good.

“Of course, nothing beats having your own family around. So, definitely, I will go home in the future,” Belle said.

Jeff, for his part, admits that having a stable job already is a hurdle in itself to heading back home.

“I think the opportunity I’ve been looking for is available already in the Philippines. It’s just up to me to find that opportunity, or me getting lucky,” he said.

In a recent symposium, Luther Calderon of the nongovernmental organization Allies of Filipino Migrants acknowledged that there will definitely be no end to Filipino migration despite the negative effect it has primarily on families.

“The challenge for the government and other concerned sectors is to shift to a jobs-creating economy, foster entrepreneurship among the dependents of the overseas Filipino workers and teach them how to save money, and, focus on family reunification,” Calderon said. –Ronron Calunsod, Kyodo News