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OFWs prefer 30K or less overseas earnings over local income opportunities

Measly livelihood and economic opportunities in the Philippines are still motivating Overseas Fillipino Workers (OFWs) to take flight, with a desire to earn an average of P30,000 or less monthly, according to a research titled, “A Probe into the Filipino Migration Culture: What Is There to Learn for Policy Intervention?” conducted by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS).

In a Business Mirror report, PIDs Supervising Research Specialist Aubrey D. Tabuga mentioned that “Seventy percent of aspiring OFWs point to meagre salary and poor living conditions in the country as driving forces for emigration. In fact, half of the respondents (50.2%) are unhappy with their current revenues. Meanwhile, 43% of aspiring migrants are dissatisfied with their quality of life and 55% are dissatisfied in “varying levels.”

This discontent even led some of the respondents to expect from as low as P3,000 to P280,000 monthly income abroad.

In terms of fiscal recommendations that can be derived from this study, Tabuga urged the government, “Given more secure local job opportunities, a non-negligible proportion would opt to stay. More than a quarter, or 27 percent, of those with migration plans reported that they would change their mind if only there were decent jobs around available for them.”

She also suggested that more employment prospects should be available in the countryside, and policies catering to retiring OFWs should be put in place.

The study conducted face-to-face interviews in 365 households totaling 1,555 individuals in Barangay Camachile, Orion in Bataan, also known as the migrant-sending village in the Philippines.
A typical household’s per capita income is Php59,990.

The main criteria for selecting the area of study are “being rural, having high migration prevalence based on data from the community-based monitoring system database of the municipality and accessibility from the capital for feasibility of field research.”

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