Brain Drain in the Philippines

Starting at around the 1970s, Filipinos have already been immigrating to other nations like the USA, Middle East, Canada, Australia and many other countries to find work in order to send money back home.

A report from Geneva's International Labour Office showed that the number of professional workers who went abroad exceeded the net addition to the professionals in the workforce during the 1990s.

Highly skilled physicians, teachers, seamen, engineers, nurses, and many others who received such a high level of university training only to apply their knowledge and expertise in other countries.

Indeed the massive amount of income they're bringing in to the country through their remittances has been keeping the country's economy afloat for many years and counting.

What is this doing to the local workforce, however?

There is no direct information on the actual magnitude of brain drain from the Philippines and how much this has changed over time. Occasional surveys may reveal the extent of location of Philippine professionals but there is no regular monitoring of movements. For example, one survey in the seventies indicated that the number of physicians in the United States amounted to half of the registered physicians in the Philippines.
Source: Skilled Labour Migration from Developing Countries: Study on the Philippines

Even without the numbers, just go to the POEA/OWWA offices anywhere in the country and you will see that everyday, hundreds of Filipinos would be there processing their applications or renewing their contracts all hoping to go out of the country and work.


It's not hard to see why, simply ask around and visit the homes of some families whose a family member is an OFW (Overseas Filipino Worker) and you'll often find that they're living way better than most Filipinos.

So for most OFWs, the reason really is just one word: economic. Although the remittances from these workers are good for the Philippine economy, it is not sustainable. The Philippines, I think, is still challenged to be able to produce something from within and be able to export goods and services for a more sustainable income. In addition, when the businesses within the country become globally competitive with good salary grids, people won't have to go somewhere else to find that elusive "Greener Pasture".

Find jobs in New Zealand via POEA

You can find "approved jobs" in many countries on the POEA website. Simply go to this link: http://www.poea.gov.ph/cgi-bin/JobVacancies/jobsByCty.asp

Here's a short sample list for jobs in New Zealand:

Approved Job Orders by Country as of Jul 14, 2009 5:55:19 PM

Country : NEW ZEALAND

Country

Position

Agency

Date Approved

JO Balance

NEW ZEALAND		OPERATOR ROLLER		UNIPLAN OVERSEAS EMPLOYMENT INC (MHM OVERSEAS EMPLOY`T AGENCY CORP)		6/29/2009		1

NEW ZEALAND		OPERATOR SCREED		UNIPLAN OVERSEAS EMPLOYMENT INC (MHM OVERSEAS EMPLOY`T AGENCY CORP)		6/29/2009		2

NEW ZEALAND		NURSE REGISTERED		JEJ INTERNATIONAL MANPOWER SERVICES		6/1/2009		30

NEW ZEALAND		SEWER		SACRED HEART INTERNATIONAL SERVICES, INC		5/22/2009		2

NEW ZEALAND		DRIVER TRUCK		UNIPLAN OVERSEAS EMPLOYMENT INC (MHM OVERSEAS EMPLOY`T AGENCY CORP)		5/18/2009		2

NEW ZEALAND		OPERATOR SCREED		UNIPLAN OVERSEAS EMPLOYMENT INC (MHM OVERSEAS EMPLOY`T AGENCY CORP)		5/18/2009		1

NEW ZEALAND		TECHNICIAN PLASTIC		LAU` MEL INTERNATIONAL ENTERTAINMENT PROMOTION		5/18/2009		2

NEW ZEALAND		WORKER DAIRY		BISON MANAGEMENT CORPORATION		4/21/2009		50

If you can't find what you're looking for, try and check back again at a later time. Keep checking this every now and then as the list is updated in a few days I think.

Happy job hunting.

How to Spot Illegal Recruiters

Who is the Illegal Recruiter?

1. Instantly asks for placement and other fees but does not give official receipts.
2. Promises fast and early deployment.
3. Immediately requires medical examinations even without a definite contract or employer.
4. Conducts transactions with applicants in public places, such as restaurants, malls, etc. and not in licensed agency’s office.
5. Conducts house-to-house recruitment.
6. Does not give enough information regarding the job applied.
7. Claims to have contact with direct employers abroad, and asserts that applicants do not need to go through POEA requirements.
8. Promises quick deployment, but only through tourist or visit visas.
9. Could not produce employment contract or visa.
10. Claims to work for a legitimate agency, but could not show any ID.
11. Claims to be connected with a travel agency or a training center.
12. Persuades applicants to look for other applicants so that deployment would be quickened.
13. Does not give enough or hides personal information, such as full name, address, etc.
14. Promises to process documents through the POEA’s government to government hiring program (especially for applicants to Korea).
15. Claims to have deployed one or more workers abroad using tourist or visit visas, and tries to entice you by using the same scheme.

Ten Commandments to Avoid Illegal Recruitment

1. You should not apply in an agency not licensed by the POEA.
2. You should not accept jobs without job orders. Ask the POEA.
3. You should not deal with somebody who is not an authorized employee of a licensed agency.
4. You should not transact business outside the registered address of the agency. If recruiting outside Metro Manila, ask for Special Recruitment Authority.
5. You should not pay for a placement fee that is more than the equivalent of a month’s salary.
6. You should not pay for a placement fee if you are not given a receipt and an employment contract.
7. You should not readily believe advertisements or pamphlets advising you to contact certain P.O. Box addresses and urging you to pay a fee for the processing of your papers.
8. You should not transact business with agents of training centers and travel agencies offering jobs abroad.
9. You should not accept a tourist visa for your overseas employment.
10. You should not deal with fixers.

Source: A Simple Life

Filipinos overseas sent record $1.48B home in May

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Money sent home by Filipino workers overseas grew 3.7 percent in May to a record high of $1.48 billion, defying the World Bank's forecast of a drop in remittances this year because of the global economic crunch.

The May data brought total remittances for the first five months of the year to $6.98 billion, up 2.8 percent from $5.5 billion for the same period last year, the central bank said Wednesday.

The second highest level of remittances, at $1.47 billion, was registered in March.

Nearly 10 percent of the country's 90 million people work abroad — many as nurses, maids, engineers, construction workers and seamen. Last year, overseas Filipinos sent home $16.4 billion, equal to about 10.4 percent of the country's gross domestic product, fueling domestic consumption that is a lynchpin of the economy.

"The stream of remittances from overseas Filipinos continued to show signs of strength despite lingering global economic fragilities, providing some basis for cautious optimism regarding steady remittance levels for 2009," central bank Gov. Amando Tetangco said.

He said remittances continued to be underpinned by the steady demand for Filipino workers, particularly professional and skilled labor, as well as their expanded access to banks' financial products and services.

The World Bank has projected a 4 percent drop in remittances this year to the Philippines, which is the world's fourth biggest recipient of money sent by workers from abroad.

But a central bank statement said demand for Filipino workers is expected to hold up as a result of hiring deals forged by the Philippines with host countries like Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Australia and Japan.

The bank said the rise in May's foreign remittances came with school enrolments and related expenditures as schools in the Philippines reopened in June after holidays.

It said talks have started for Libya to recruit some 4,000 Filipino medical workers, while South Korea has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Philippines on the hiring of up to 5,000 workers by South Korea's manufacturing and other sectors within the next 10 months.

Source: Philstar.com