A UN study revealed that 83% of repatriated overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are struggling to look for jobs months after returning home due to pandemic.
The alarming rate came from the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) report “COVID-19 Impact Assessment on Returned Overseas Filipino Workers” which interviewed over 8,000 displaced Filipino migrant workers.
The 52-page report of IOM revealed that at least 800,000 OFWs returned to the Philippines as of December 2020.
“There was a slightly higher rate of unemployment amongst females than males, at 84% compared to 82%, as well as amongst sea-based compared to land-based OFWs,” the IOM said.
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The agency conducted the study last year when the country’s unemployment rate soared to 10.2% as the pandemic continues to hamper economic recovery.
According to IOM Philippines Head of Programs Troy Dooley, over 78% of all returnees identified income generation as their greatest challenge.
Moreover, Dooley said most of the repatriated OFWs got opportunities outside their skillset and expertise.
“The general trend for OFWs is that very few utilize the skill sets acquired overseas when they return home to the Philippines. For the 14% of OFWs who had gained employment post-arrival in the Philippines, there were very few OFWs who worked in the same industry or utilized their skills learned abroad,” he said.
The IOM also said sea-based OFWs had a prevalence of 11% of early contract termination while land-based OFWs had a much higher prevalence at 21%.
Land-based workers also represented a larger proportion of the total cases recorded with 17% versus 2% with sea-based workers. Males had a higher prevalence of contract termination than females at 20% versus 18%.
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Meanwhile, more than 19% of interviewed OFWs said their contracts were terminated early, with more than half of them saying they did not receive their separation or compensation pay.
The lack of opportunities in their home country amidst the pandemic has pushed 48% of the respondents to seek jobs overseas.
Meanwhile, Dooley said 35% of returnees are looking for opportunities in the country and 2% are planning to move to other parts of the country.
The Philippines reported a drastic 75 percent drop in the deployment of OFWs, the lowest number in over three decades. (RA)
