1 out of 4 OFWs are in Saudi Arabia—PSA

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) remains to be the top destination for overseas Filipino workers (OFW), as evidenced by the results of the 2018 Survey on Overseas Filipinos conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

The total number of OFWs deployed in different countries worldwide at any time between April to September 2018 was estimated to be at 2.3 million. Of this number, 96.2 percent are OFW with existing work contract while the remaining 3.8 percent worked overseas without an employment contract.

Coming in at second spot after the KSA, the United Arab Emirates hosts around 15.5 percent of the total OFWs worldwide, followed by Hongkong, with 6.3 percent; Kuwait, 5.7 percent; Taiwan, 5.5 percent; and Qatar, 5.2 percent.

2018 Survey on Overseas Filipinos

At 55.8 percent, female OFWs outnumbered their male counterparts. Filipina OFWs are generally younger than male, with 47.5 percent of the female OFWs are aged 25 to 34 years old. Of the total number of male OFWs, 38.9 percent belongs to this age group while those male aged 45 years old and above makes up 21.2 percent of all male OFWs. On the other hand, female OFWs belonging to this age group comprises 14.5 percent of the total number of survey respondents.

In terms of occupation groups, majority, or 37.1 percent, of the OFWs have elementary occupations. They are followed by the service and sales workers comprising 18.8 percent; and plant and machine operators and assemblers, 13.8 percent.

The total remittance sent by OFWs from April to September 2018 was estimated to be around 235.9 billion pesos.

2018 Survey on Overseas Filipinos

The Survey

The 2018 Survey on Overseas Filipinos (SOF) aims to derive national estimates on the number of OFWs, their socio-economic characteristics, and the amount and mode of remittances, in cash and kind, received by their families. The SOF is a rider of the Labor Force Survey, with a sample household size of around 45,000. The OFWs covered in this report are those who are aged 15 years old and above and working abroad from April to September 2018.

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