More Filipino women have voted with the feet and left the comfort of home and family behind to find jobs overseas–mainly menial work–to help loved ones get a chance at a better life, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority show.
Data show that between January and September 2022, Filipinos working overseas total 1.96 million, with nearly six of every 10 were women. A total 1.83 million Filipino worked overseas during the same period in 2021.
The PSA said that of Filipinos working overseas, 1.13 million or 58 percent were women and only 828,000 were males. This was the same ratio observed in 2021 when 1.1 million or 60 percent were women and 726,000 or 40 percent were men.
Filipinos between the ages 30 and 34 years old accounted for 23 percent of the overseas Filipino workers, just a little more than those age 45 years or older. Combined with those between the ages 35 and 39 years old, the three age groups account for 64 percent of all OFWs.
A quarter of the Filipinos working overseas belong to the 30- to 34-year old age group while 21 percent were from the 35- to 39-year old age bracket.
Across occupation groups, OFWs engaged in elementary occupations—or those that involve simple and routine tasks involving hand-held tools and considerable physical effort–made up the largest share of 44 percent of the total OFWs in 2022.
Service and sales workers were the second largest group of OFWs with 16 percent, while plant machine operators and assemblers were the third largest group accounting for 12 percent.
Of the 1.13 million female OFWs, the majority of 70 percent engaged in elementary occupations while 14 percent were in service and sales.
As for male OFWS, 28 percent were plant and machine operators and assemblers, 17 percent were in service and sales, 15 percent were trades workers and another 15 percent were technicians and associate professionals.
Around 81 percent of OFWs deploy in countries like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Hong Kong, Qatar and Singpore as preferred destinations.
The money sent home by OFWs from January to September 2022 totaled P197.47 billion of which P145.40 billion were sent through banks and the balance in remittance service companies.
