Two of the Philippines’ largest exports to the rest of the globe are labor and highly qualified professionals. With a promise of better employment conditions and attractive career pathways, abroad jobs have grown appealing to many Filipino professionals. Because of this, the population of professionals and skilled employees is steadily increasing.
Overseas Contract Workers (OCWs), or those with an active work contract, accounted up 97.5% of the 2.2 million Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who were estimated to be employed overseas by the Philippine Statistics Authority between April 2016 and december 2022.
On the other hand, a report detailing the statistics underlying the employment of OFWs worldwide was produced by the online recruitment platform for OFWs. The top countries for Filipino deployment and the highest paid occupations for Filipinos abroad are among the topics they have covered in their research.
Before we get into the specifics, here is a quick summary of how, according to data from the Department of Foreign Affair, OFWs are saturating the global labor market in 2022:
2022 estimates on the number of Filipinos living abroad
Total: 7,979,716 of Filipinos were sent overseas as OFWs
| Top 25 countries with the biggest number of OFWs | |
| United States of America | 3,353,891 |
| Kingdom of Saudi Arabia | 938,940 |
| Canada | 676,775 |
| Malaysia | 620,043 |
| United Arab Emirates | 541,593 |
| Japan | 313,588 |
| Australia | 340,093 |
| Italy | 299,787 |
| China | 229,638 |
| Singapore | 200,000 |
| United Kingdom | 200,000 |
| Qatar | 198,000 |
| Kuwait | 187,067 |
| Bahrain | 158,644 |
| Taiwan | 115,055 |
| Puerto Rico | 91,620 |
| Greece | 61,681 |
| Republic of Korea | 52,379 |
| France | 44,967 |
| New Zealand | 41,146 |
| Oman | 39,483 |
| Jordan | 28,676 |
| Lebanon | 27,812 |
| Spain | 26,946 |
| Israel | 25,000 |
Source: DFA Official Website
What professions have the best pay?
The highest-paid occupations for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) last year and currently were engineers, doctors, nurses, and IT specialists, according to the most recent rankings. Healthcare professionals in the Middle East, including doctors, pediatricians, nurses, and veterinarians, received the highest salaries.
Please read: Tips for OFW before Heading to Money Changer
| Middle East | |
| Occupation | Average Monthly Salary |
| Pediatrician | ₱86,000 |
| General Physical (Doctor) | ₱81,000 |
| Orthopedic Doctor | ₱79,000 |
| Dental Hygienest | ₱75,000 |
| Dermatologist | ₱74,000 |
| Nurse | ₱80,000 |
Middle Eastern industries in high demand
- Engineering
- General work
- Food/Beverage (restaurant service) (restaurant service)
- Healthcare
| Asia Pacific | |
| Engineer | ₱59,000 |
| IT Professionals | ₱58,000 |
| Nurse | ₱50,000 |
The general work and engineering sectors offer more prospects than any other industries for anyone looking to find employment in the United Arab Emirates or elsewhere in the Middle East. Technicians in the fields of electrical and mechanical engineering are in high demand. The food and beverage business also offers general employment prospects, including positions as cooks, waiters/waitresses, and restaurant staff.
Asia Pacific industries in high demand
- General work
- Engineering related
- Operations in manufacturing and production
- IT-related
The most in-demand employment in this region are still skilled workers. Carpenters, home service providers, and caregivers are among the skilled job prospects in the Asia-Pacific region. In the region, particularly in Malaysia, there is an increase in need for IT specialists.
Additionally, there are many job opportunities in Taiwan and Japan for factory employees, production and machine operators, and welders in the engineering-related sector for technicians and technical operators as well as in the manufacturing/production operations sector.
| United States | |
| Occupation | Average Monthly Salary |
| Ship Master | ₱99,000 |
| Chief Engineer | ₱96,000 |
| Chief Officer (Engineer) | ₱92,000 |
| Nurse | ₱80,000 |
| Sea-Based Officer | ₱75,000 |
Industry in demand in the United States
- Engineering
- Maritime engineering
- General work
- Food and drink (restaurant services)
In the United States, sea-based engineers are in demand and well-compensated, while electricians, fitters, able seamen, cooks, waiters/waitresses and stewards are all highly sought for.
It takes a lot of time, money, and planning to find work abroad. While finding a job abroad can be a time-consuming and challenging process, having knowledge of the markets where your profession, expertise, and skill sets are in demand might offer you an advantage.
Sea-based engineers are in demand and well-paid in the United States, and electricians, fitters, competent seamen, cooks, waiters/waitresses, and stewards are also in great demand.
Engineers are most in demand in the professional sector across markets, from the Middle East to the US.
According to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration’s (POEA) deployment statistics, Saudi Arabia has been the top-ranked nation since 2004. With an average of 287,000 jobs each year, it has been the major source of employment.
However, according to data on jobseekers’ online behavior collected by JobStreet, foreign job searchers appear to prefer to work in the following country:
- Europe
- Australia and New Zealand
- North America (USA and Canada)
- Bahrain
- Japan
- UAE
- Qatar
- Macau
- Singapore
- South Korea
Conclusion
Do you intend to work abroad?
While the quickest method to acquire any job is through wise preparation, landing one outside the country includes knowing where your abilities or occupation is needed or in demand. Filipinos working abroad are primarily filling professions or tasks that locals are unable to perform.
At the end of the day, it’s about the knowledge or abilities that you can contribute to your dream nation, regardless of whether you want to progress your career or simply get a better paid job.
For instance, the elderly population is rising in Australia and other Western nations, but there aren’t enough young individuals pursuing careers in healthcare. Experienced healthcare experts from other nations, such as nurses, are warmly welcomed and even given permanent resident status in order to serve their citizens with quality healthcare.
As most of their local talent could readily fill the posts, IT experts may not have the same luck as nurses in those nations.
If you are a seasoned professional in the Philippines with a six-figure salary, you might want to think more deeply before acting hastily.Are you willing to start from scratch again? Would it be financially prudent to pursue an abroad opportunity if it would only result in a small increase in your current income?
In addition, you should think about the cost of living in the other country rather than just your wage.
