Manila Migration

More than one million Filipinos leave their country each year to work abroad. More than 11 million Filipinos- or about 11% of the population- are working overseas. Last year, Filipinos sent back to their families nearly $US 16 billion dollars. That amounts to an incredible 13.5% of the Philippines' GDP.

Many of those who leave are skilled workers; doctors, nurses, teachers and accountants, often sought after because they are well-educated and usually possess an excellent standard of spoken English. Many other Filipinos can be found working as maids, nannies, or on construction sites. That's no wonder when you consider that a Filipino teacher, even in a low wage economy such as Thailand, can earn at least twice the amount that they would collect back at home.

Filipinos workers can be found working in all corners of the globe; 23,000 in New Zealand, more than a million in Saudi Arabia, and more than 200,000 in Japan and Australia. Incredibly, 13,000 Filipinos are currently working in Papua New Guinea; what would they be doing there in such numbers?

International recruitment agencies abound in Manila and recruitment fairs draw large numbers of hopeful workers.