Push Admin

SWS: 7% of adult Filipinos eye overseas jobs; Canada is most preferred destination

Article (news)

Rowegie Abanto, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Overseas Filipino Workers are assisted by members of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration and the Philippine Coast Guard at the arrival lobby of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 in Pasay City on June 3, 2021. George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News/File" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2021/news/06/18/20210603-covid-ofw-arrival-naia-1-gc-0153.jpg"/><figcaption>Overseas Filipino Workers are assisted by members of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration and the Philippine Coast Guard at the arrival lobby of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 in Pasay City on June 3, 2021. <em>George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News/File</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA — Seven percent of Filipino adults late last year said they were looking for jobs abroad, with Canada topping the list of countries where they wanted to work, according to a Social Weather Stations <a href="https://www.sws.org.ph/swsmain/artcldisppage/?artcsyscode=ART-20230419092946" target="_blank">survey</a> released Wednesday.</p><p>The SWS said Canada was &quot;the most cited country where one aspires to work.&quot;</p><p>Other top destinations for those eyeing overseas work include Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Japan, Qatar, and the US, the pollster said.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/02/22/23/canada-to-reduce-work-experience-requirement-for-caregivers">Canada to cut work experience requirement for caregivers by half</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/03/09/23/canada-opens-visa-processing-facility-in-makati">Canada opens visa processing facility in Makati</a></li></ul><p>In February, the Philippines&#x27; unemployment rate was steady while underemployment eased, the Philippine Statistics Authority <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/04/11/23/underemployment-rate-eases-jobless-rate-steady-in-february" target="_blank">announced</a> earlier this month.</p><p>The agency said the jobless rate for February 2023 was 4.8 percent, which meant that there were 2.47 million Filipino workers who were unemployed.</p><p>The SWS survey also revealed that nearly 2 out of 10 adult Filipinos, or 17 percent, wanted to live abroad.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/04/14/23/immigration-fuels-canadas-record-population-growth-in-2022">Immigration fuels Canada&#x27;s record population growth in 2022</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/multimedia/slideshow/03/08/23/family-or-country-the-hard-choice-filipino-nurses-make">Family or country? The hard choice Filipino nurses must make</a></li></ul><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2591079" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div><div><strong>SWS: HOUSEHOLDS WITH OFW AT 7%</strong></div><p>The Dec. 10-14, 2022 national survey of 1,200 adults showed that 7 percent of Filipino households had an overseas Filipino worker (OFW).</p><p>Around 75 percent of households with an OFW receive money &quot;often.&quot;</p><p>Moreover, 17 percent said their household OFWs send or give money &quot;sometimes,&quot; 5 percent shared &quot;seldom,&quot; and 3 percent said &quot;never.&quot;</p><p>Cash remittances from overseas Filipinos coursed through banks reached $32.54 billion in 2022, higher by 3.6 percent from $31.42 billion in 2021, data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas showed.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/02/15/23/cash-remittances-hit-3254-billion-in-2022-bsp">Cash remittances at $32.54 billion, personal remittances hit record $36.14B in 2022</a></li></ul><p>Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Susan Ople in November last year said there were around 10.5 million Filipinos working abroad.</p><p>Citing estimates nearly a decade ago from the Commission on Overseas Filipino, Rene Ofreneo, former dean of the UP School of Labor and Industrial Relations, said some 5 million are permanent immigrants, more than 3 million are temporary, and around 2 million are undocumented.</p><p>The SWS poll has a sampling error margin of ±2.8 percent.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/S9y30dPoii8?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

Seven percent of Filipino adults in Dec. 2022 said they were looking for jobs abroad, with Canada as most preferred destination.

SWS: 7% of adult Filipinos eye overseas jobs; Canada is most preferred destination

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Traffic

Manila

Horoscope

News

SWS: 7% of adult Filipinos eye overseas jobs; Canada is most preferred destination

Rowegie Abanto,

ABS-CBN News

Published Apr 22, 2023 11:58 AM PHT

|

Updated Apr 22, 2023 12:12 PM PHT

Read More:

SWS

Social Weather Stations

OFW

overseas Filipino workers

Canada

Saudi Arabia

Kuwait

United Arab Emirates

Japan

Qatar

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.