Overseas Filipino workers are known as OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers).

OFW receiving agreement countries number 56 worldwide. Economic exchange exists between these partner countries and the Philippines, and remittances from Filipino workers’ overseas employment are intended to stimulate the Philippine economy.

In 2020, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) reported OFWs totaling 549,841.

Remittances from overseas Filipino workers, equivalent to about 10% of GDP, temporarily had a major impact on the Philippine economy due to COVID-19, but currently show signs of recovery.

The Philippine government encourages the outflow of overseas Filipino workers, and OFWs are recognized and celebrated as national heroes.

Many Filipinos prefer to work overseas rather than in the unstable domestic market, and partly due to the influence of the American colonial period, Filipinos’ English language skills are highly valued, and they are actively accepted as overseas workers by many countries.

OFWs: Overseas Filipino Workers

OFWs, or overseas Filipino workers, are authorized to work abroad under the jurisdiction of the government agency the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).

◆ Department of Labor and Employment / Philippine Overseas Employment Administration: Philippine Overseas Employment Administration = POEA

POEA is the primary government agency assigned to monitor and supervise overseas recruitment and placement agencies for the Philippines. Established in 1982 under the Marcos administration, it is the main agency for Philippine overseas employment labor policy.

When hiring Filipinos from overseas, screening by POEA in the Philippines and procedures at POLE (Overseas Labor Office of the Embassy of the Republic of the Philippines in Japan / Philippines Overseas Labor Office) established in each overseas country are required.

When Japanese companies hire Filipinos, they contract with agents certified by POEA (in Manila) and carry out the permit application procedures through entry into Japan.

In Japan, POLE conducts registration of Japanese companies and reviews of employment conditions and other matters.

Hiring Filipino workers overseas is structured to take effect through coordination between POEA and POLE.

OFWs Who Choose Japan: Overseas Filipino Workers

◆ Why Filipinos choose Japan

Reasons why Filipinos with English language skills choose Japan rather than English-speaking countries include: 1) a disciplined national character; 2) good public safety; 3) fewer problems such as abuse compared with the Middle East and Saudi Arabia, which accept the largest numbers of OFWs; 4) lower intermediary margins compared with other countries; 4) wages that are not low; and other factors.

The greatest challenge for Filipinos who choose Japan is acquiring Japanese language ability, learning the culture and customs, and developing the capacity to adapt to Japanese society.

◆ Filipinos settling permanently or long-term in Japan

Currently, 87% of Filipinos in Japan are Permanent Residents or Long-Term Residents, and many Filipinos who have integrated into Japanese society and obtained Japanese nationality can also be seen.

A characteristic often attributed to Filipinos is that they integrate into Japanese society while dispersing across various regions rather than concentrating in one place. The tendency for foreign nationals of the same nationality to cluster densely in a single area is not seen among Filipinos.

Among Filipinos in Japan, women overwhelmingly outnumber men. Filipino women who came to Japan in large numbers from the 1960s under the Entertainer status of residence became a social issue concerning foreign women working in Japan in 1980, along with the buzzword “Japayuki-san.”

At that time, many Filipino women who came to Japan under the Entertainer status of residence continued to increase cases of settling long-term or permanently in Japan after international marriage to Japanese men, and this has become one of the factors behind the large number of Filipino Permanent Residents and Long-Term Residents today.

As of June 2020, according to figures on foreign residents published by the Ministry of Justice, among a total of 800,872 Permanent Residents, Filipino Permanent Residents numbered 132,551.

Specified Skilled Worker: Filipinos

According to the Immigration Services Agency of Japan, “Specified Skilled Worker (i) / foreign residents” numbered 299,144 as of June 2021, an increase of 29.1% from the previous data as of March.

By nationality, Vietnam ranks first, and this time, surpassing China, the Philippines ranks second. The top nationalities are Vietnam, the Philippines, China, Indonesia, and Myanmar.

Filipinos under Specified Skilled Worker, who show a substantial growth rate, number 2,730 in nursing care and 760 in shipbuilding and ship machinery by industry. Compared with the previous figures (March data), these are increases of 58.5% and 28.4%, respectively.

OFW overseas Filipino worker statistics show that about 20% are Filipino seafarers, and figures indicate that more than 300,000 Filipino maritime workers are always working around the world.

In Specified Skilled Worker, in the shipbuilding and ship machinery field, Filipino workers are increasing, far surpassing other countries.

In the nursing care field, based on the Filipino national character rooted in the spirit of “Filipino hospitality”, they are highly regarded at nursing care welfare facilities, which is a reason they are chosen.

Summary

In the deployment of overseas Filipino workers, support from the Philippine government plays a major role. Likewise, in the acceptance of Filipino workers in Japan, the government agency POEA provides support for Filipino workers’ employment activities.

When hiring Filipinos, it is necessary to plan with past issues concerning coordination between Japanese society and Filipinos in mind, and to advance recruitment plans in line with the requirements of POEA and POLE.

When hiring foreign workers, aim to understand the different systems in each country and build better employment relationships.