Overseas Filipinos

In 2013, the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) estimated that approximately 10.2 million people of Filipino descent lived or worked abroad. It is one of the largest diaspora populations, spanning over 100 countries. The Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) tend to be young and gender-balanced. Based on a survey conducted in 2011, the demographics indicate how the 24-29 age group constitutes 24 percent of the total and is followed by the 30-34 age group (23 percent) working abroad. Male OFWs account for 52 percent of the total OFW population. The slightly smaller percentage of the female overseas workers tend to be younger than their male counterparts. The OFW population is consistently increasing through the years and this is partly attributed to the government's encouragement of the outflow of contractual workers as evidenced in policy pronouncements, media campaigns, and other initiatives. For instance, it describes the OFWs as the heroes of the nation, encouraging citizens to take pride in these workers. ==Economic impact==

In 2012, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), the central bank of the Philippines, expected official remittances coursed through banks and agents to grow 5% over 2011 to US$21 billion, but official remittances constitute only a fraction of all remittances. Remittances by unofficial, including illegal, channels are estimated by the Asian Bankers Association to be 30 to 40% higher than the official BSP figure. In 2012, approximately 80% of the remittances came from only seven countries—United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and Japan. ==Issues==

Employment conditions Employment conditions overseas are relevant to the individual worker and their families as well as for the sending country and its economic growth and well-being. Poor working conditions for Filipinos hired abroad include long hours, low wages and few chances to visit family. Evidence suggests that these women cope with the emotional stress of familial separation in one of two ways: first, in domestic care situations, they substitute their host-family's children for their own in the love and affection they give, and second, they actively considered the benefit their earnings would have on their children's future. These occupations are considered low skilled and require little education and training, thereby regularly facing poor working conditions. According to a statement made in 2009 by John Leonard Monterona, the Middle East coordinator of Migrante, a Manila-based OFW organization, every year, an unknown number of Filipinos in Saudi Arabia were then "victims of sexual abuses, maltreatment, unpaid salaries, and other labor malpractices". Government policy Philippine Labor Migration Policy has historically focused on removing barriers for migrant workers to increase accessibility for employment abroad. Working conditions among Filipinos employed abroad varies depending on whether the host country acknowledges and enforces International labor standards. The standards are set by the ILO, which is an UN agency that 185 of the 193 UN members are part of. Labor standards vary greatly depending on host country regulations and enforcement. One of the main reasons for the large differences in labor standards is due to the fact that ILO only can register complaints and not impose sanctions on governments. Returning overseas Filipinos are known as "Balikbayans". Emigration policies tend to differ within countries depending on if the occupation is mainly dominated by men or women. Occupations dominated by men tend to be driven by economic incentives whereas emigration policies aimed at women traditionally tend to be value driven, adhering to traditional family roles that favors men's wage work. As women are regularly seen as symbols of national pride and dignity, governments tend to have more protective policies in sectors dominated by women. These policies risk to increase gender inequality in the Philippines and thereby this public policy work against women joining the workforce. Female OFWs most often occupy domestic positions. However, some researchers Other researchers report that these situations lead to abuse, particularly of older daughters, who face increased pressure and responsibility in the mother's absence. Results from a focus group in the Philippines shows that the positive impacts from migration of nurses is attributed to the individual migrant and his/her family, while the negative impacts are attributed to the Filipino healthcare system and society in general. In order to fill the nursing shortage in the Philippines, suggestions have been made by several NGOs that nursing-specializing Filipino workers overseas, locally known as "Overseas Filipino Workers" (OFWs), return to the country to train local nurses, for which program training would be required in order for the Philippines to make up for all its nurses migrating abroad. Many host governments of OFWs have protective policies and barriers making it difficult to enter the job market. Japan has been known for rigorous testing of Filipinos in a way that make them look reluctant to hold up their part of the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement and solely enjoy the benefit of affordable manufacturing in the Philippines, not accepting and educating OFWs. Return migration Returning migrant workers are often argued to have a positive effect on the home economy since they are assumed to gain skills and return with a new perspective. Deskilling has caused many Filipino workers to return less skilled after being assigned simple tasks abroad, this behavior creates discouragement for foreign workers to climb the occupational ladder. Deskilling of labor is especially prevalent among women who often have few and low skill employment options, such as domestic work and child or elder care. Other occupations that recently has seen an increase in deskilling are doctors, teachers and assembly line workers. To underline what a common problem this deskilling is: Returning migrant workers are calling for returnee integration programs, which suggests that they do not feel prepared to be re-integrated in the domestic workforce. As the Philippines among other countries who train and export labor repeatedly has faced failures in protecting labor rights, the deskilling of labor has increased on a global scale. A strong worldwide demand for healthcare workers incentivizes Filipinos to emigrate. The result is a no-win situation for the sending and receiving country. The receiving countries lose as skilled workers are not fully utilizing their skills while the home country simultaneously experience a shortage of workers in emigrating prone sectors. ==Countries and territories with Filipino populations==

• '''''': , there were about 121 registered Filipinos in Albania. • '''''': , there are around 162 Filipinos in Argentina. • '''''': , there were 22,007 Filipinos in Armenia. • '''''': In the 2016 Census, there were 232,386 Filipino Australians. • '''''': , the Filipino community in Austria numbered roughly 30,000. See Filipinos in Austria. • '''''': , there are around 3,500 Filipinos in Azerbaijan. • '''''': , there were 2,000 Filipinos in The Bahamas. • '''''': , there were 55,790 Filipinos in Bahrain. • '''''': , there were over 20,000 Filipinos living in Brunei. • '''''': , there are around 2 Filipinos in Burundi. • '''''': , there are around 5,402 Filipinos in Cambodia. • '''''': , there were 957,355 Filipinos in Canada. See Filipino Canadians. • '''''': , there are around 25 Filipinos in Cape Verde. • '''''': , there were 4,119 Filipinos in Cayman Islands. • '''''': , there were 12,254 Filipinos in China (Mainland). • '''''': As of 2016 Census, there were 186,869 Filipinos in Hong Kong. • '''''': , there were at least 8,000 Filipinos in Denmark. • '''''': , there are now about 200 Filipinos in Djibouti. • '''''': , there are around 58 Filipinos in the Dominican Republic. • '''''': , there are around 138 Filipinos in Ecuador. • '''''': , there were 5,717 Filipinos in Egypt. • '''''': , there are about 400 Filipinos in Fiji. • '''''': As of 2019, there are 5,594 people in Finland born in the Philippines. • '''''': , there were 44,967 Filipinos in France. • '''''': , there were 7,400 Filipinos in Indonesia. • '''''': , there were 903 Filipinos in Iran. See Filipinos in Italy. • '''''': , there are some 100 Filipinos in the Ivory Coast. • '''''': , the Philippine government confirmed there were 325,000 Filipinos in Japan. See Filipinos in Japan. • '''''': , there were 40,538 Filipinos in Jordan. • '''''': , there were 241,109 Filipinos in Qatar. The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA)'s count rose to "close to 10,000" during the 2022 outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian War. Given a bilateral labor-agreement in the works (as of 2021), that number is likely to increase, the effects of the war prove affect it enough. . • '''''': , there are about 300 Filipinos in Samoa. • '''''': , there were 865,121 Filipinos in Saudi Arabia. • '''''': , there are 76 Filipinos living in Serbia. • '''''': , there were 200,000 Filipinos in Singapore. , there were 52,379 Filipinos in South Korea. • '''''': , there were more than 700 Filipinos in Sri Lanka. • '''''': , there are around 400 Filipinos in Sudan. • '''''': , there were 24,456 Filipinos in Sweden. • '''''': As of 2007, there were around 10,000 Filipinos in Switzerland. • '''''': , there are over 5,000 Filipinos in Syria. • '''''': , there were 147,000 Filipinos in Taiwan. See Filipinos in the United Kingdom. • '''''': , there were 3.4 million Filipinos in the United States, including those of partial descent. The United States hosts the largest population of Filipinos outside the Philippines, with a Historic Filipinotown in Los Angeles designated in August 2002, the first district established outside the Philippines to honor and recognize the area's Filipino community. The largest population of Filipino Americans reside in California; there are other large populations in the New York metropolitan area, Illinois, Nevada, Texas, and Hawaii. • '''''': , there are around 3,809 Filipinos in Uzbekistan. • '''''': , there were about 200 Filipinos living in Venezuela. • '''''': , there were nearly 20,000 Filipinos in Vietnam. • '''''': , there were 150 Filipinos in Yemen. • '''''': , there were approximately 475 Filipinos in Zambia. ==See also==