It is because the salaries are so much higher in many other countries. And there are more opportunities for available jobs.
The largest export of the Philippines is people. I remember many years ago (maybe 15 years ago) that the statistics were 2,000 to 3,000 Filipinos exiting the country DAILY to work abroad. I don't have current figures, but I would guess it has increased.
It is a mindset that permeates the culture. Not everybody, but a large percentage of Filipinos, have a dream or goal of working abroad. They can support a large extended family on that wage. The salaries sound like millions to them, but they don't realize that the cost of living in other countries is equally high. So many Filipinos work hard and live in less-than-desirable conditions abroad while sending much money back to relatives who don't work. They are sacrificing for the family. But I heard personally from several that they ended up not saving money and ended up being separated (no divorce here) from their spouse. So in the bigger picture, some regretted going abroad.
The largest number of Filipinos work in the Middle East and it is such a different culture. Many Filipinos are not treated very well in some countries and have a very limited lifestyle. The next highest number works in other nearby Asian countries like Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, etc. And then there is the USA, Canada, and all the countries of Europe. Filipinos are everywhere now!
Another dream of many Filipinos is to marry a foreigner…. for financial security. I have met people who were boasting that their 21-year-old daughter married a man in his fifties and they were all so excited because they said he was rich. They thought they had hit the jackpot!
The very poor don't generally work abroad because they cannot even afford the trips to Manila to visit an agency and prepare paperwork and visas, etc. The very poor focus only on food for the day… anything beyond that is out of their scope.
I have put some orphans through college and as an example, one has a good job as a high school teacher in the Philippines. He only makes $400. a month or 20,000 pesos. It is not enough for the lifestyle he wants. He wanted to leave his wife and new baby to work abroad, but I convinced him it was not a good idea to be separated. I have seen so many couples break up with this difficult arrangement of living in different countries. I emphasized to him that money should not be the first priority. His younger brother, who didn't even graduate from Elementary school, was working in the Middle East as a welder and making more than the college-educated one here. And the one who was the welder - his wife cheated on him and their marriage has failed.
I have another friend who also works at home online teaching English to Japanese students. She works 12 hours a day and doesn't make a lot, but for her, it is a good job… nothing better available. She worked in Japan as a bar girl for one year many years ago. Oh, and her father was never around when she was growing up because he worked in the Middle East, but came home to his wife when he finally retired.
Most of the people I know don't make a very good salary here and they must live very simply. Or sometimes several in the household are working. For example, one elderly neighbour looks poor but one of his daughters works in Italy and married an Italian, so she sends enough that he survives. Another family, across the street is a couple with 3 sons, ages 9, 12, 14. Neither parent in that house has ever worked, because the husband’s sister has always supported them from abroad. Here in the Philippines, most advertised jobs are looking only for someone in their twenties; the job description specifies that age. So with no work experience and now middle age, he has little hope of getting a job. Another neighbour has 3 generations living in the home, one daughter is a local nurse; one son has a small store downtown, and another daughter works abroad as a nurse. They look like they are doing great. Another neighbour lady worked in the Middle East for 20 years after her husband died. Her mother raised her children until she retired. Now 4 generations are living in their home. Another neighbour was absent until he retired; he worked on a ship as a seaman and sent money home. His daughter is an attorney now.
A former landlord of mine worked abroad for 10 years in Hong Kong. She was a domestic helper and her husband worked as a helper and driver for another family in the same town in Hong Kong. They didn't live in the same house, but at least they were in the same town. Relatives raised their son back in the Philippines and that son has resentments. After 10 years they came back and could build a house and they had another son. All of these people own a decent home in a decent subdivision… nothing fancy, but they are not poor. So you can see how prevalent the mindset is to work abroad just from my acquaintances.
I think the most common jobs abroad are as a nurse or a domestic helper, but there are also many other jobs such as various engineers to factory work. I used to live in a poor agricultural Province and had a lady friend who was a doctor. She had a small family clinic of her own, but to make more money she started an evening school to train doctors to become nurses in other countries. Our Province lost 100 doctors in one year because they could make more money as a nurse in another country. So it seems to me to be all about money. But working abroad often creates many other issues back home and family problems too.
In the Philippines, you have to be born into a family with money or find a way somehow to have enough money to start your own business to really get ahead. But many start-ups fail because there is so much competition for small businesses. Even with a college education, it is not easy to find a good job or a permanent job unless you have connections. Most of the workers at fast food places and all the store clerks and cashiers have a college degree, but those places only hire temporary help for 6 months. If a person works for one day after 6 months they are considered as a permanent employee, with benefits and vacation pay. By only hiring for 6 months, they don't have to pay their employees benefits or vacation pay. They just hire a new batch of people wanting to work every 6 months. And the ones who finish their 6 months of work, have trouble finding another job. There are a lot of unemployed people in the Philippines.
No comments:
Post a Comment