Jorge V. Tigno, DPA

Department of Political Science, Manila University, The Philippines

Jorge Villamor TIGNO is professor at the University of the Philippines in Diliman and is currently

the chairperson of its Department of Political Science. He holds a doctoral degree in public

administration from the same university. He is also the Secretary-General of the Philippine

Migration Research Network (PMRN) and a member of the governing boards of the Social Weather

Stations (SWS) and the Institute for Strategic and Development Studies (ISDS).

Abstract

Low-Skilled Labor Migration: The Philippines Case

17 December 2015

Presented at the Conference to Commemorate International Migrants Day, “New Paradigms for a

Changing Migration Landscape,” Bangkok (17 December 2015). The views expressed in this paper

do not reflect the position of the Department or the University.

Labor migration from the Philippines is as extensive as it is historically rooted and much of this

phenomenon has been characterized by the mobility and deployment of low-skilled labor. This

paper provides a very rough overview and assessment of the mechanisms that have been

institutionalized over the last 40 years as the overseas employment program as it related to low-

skilled labor migration. The Philippine overseas employment program has been described as a

model in labor migration management. It has managed to embed itself into the mainstream of

Philippine society. In its over 40 years of existence, numerous characteristics, mechanisms, and

arrangements found in the program have been copied and emulated in different labor-sending

countries. However, despite its credit-worthy status as a program par excellence, there are also

numerous problems, issues, and concerns that plague it especially as these challenges pertain to

managing low-skilled labor migration.

Low-Skilled Labor Migration:

The Philippines Case

Jorge Tigno

Chair, Dept. of Political Science, Manila

University

“Managing Low – Skilled Labor Migration in the

ASEAN Community”

17-18 December 2015

The Sukosol Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand

Annual OFW Deployments

Source: POEA

% OFW Contracts Processed by Type of Recruitment (1982-1995 and 2004-2010)

Source: POEA

OFWs by Place of Work (in % 2014)

Source: SOF, PSA

OFWs by Occupation Group (2014)

Source: SOF, PSA

Percentage of OFWs by Highest Education (2002)

Source: LFS, PSA

OFW Age Structure by Sex Ratio (2008 – 2010)

Source: SOF, PSA

ODA, FDI, and Remittances

Sources: BSP and NEDA

OFWs by total cash remittance (average of 6 months; % in 2014)

Source: SOF, PSA

Coordination on OFW Welfare

Source: COA

Licensing and Recruitment

Source: COA

Procedure for OFW Money Claims

Source: COA

Procedure for OFW Repatriation

Source: COA

Accountability Reporting

Source: COA

Documents Verification Procedures

Source: COA

Some Issues : Cracks in the Acclaim

• Weaknesses and lapses in recruitment regulation

• Insufficient responsive services (PDOS, welfare claims, and reintegration)

• Lax enforcement of selective deployment policy

• Abusive and corrupt personnel

• Ad hoc and largely market-dependent strategic migration policy

• Insufficient and weak database programs

Policy recommendations

• Strict regulation enforcement

• More innovative protection mechanisms

• Establish and maintain effective and relevant databases

• Designate special courts for IR and trafficking cases

• Reduce recruitment costs

• Promote migration for local development

• Foster social mobility