“Working conditions” is very broad term and it could mean a lot but I would try to relate it in my own personal experience.
I left a fairly good job back in the Philippines. Above average pay (actually during that time can be considered a very good pay for my grade already) and more importantly the allowance to work from home almost most of the time. The thing that I got tired off about it is that it was a night shift work as we work with US time and it caught up to my health. I thought it was a good experience though while it lasted.
I decided to leave that job simply because I was always curious and interested to work overseas. Income wise I was doing fine and having no family of my own, I’m living off pretty well to need a higher income job. Still I decided to go.
It was mostly curiosity that drove me to work in a different land, although of course I had to make sure the compensation is better overall since I’m working away from my country and it comes with the package for any Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) anyway. Unless you are foolish enough to accept a similar pay at home then it’s really up to you (and note I’ve seen and heard a lot of people do that which actually hurt the market and income potential of other OFW’s).
I initially worked in Kuala Lumpur for almost four years. Life there was good until the time the Ringgit fell hard. My remittances to the Philippines got severely affected and being just under ‘contractual’ work, asking for an increase is almost impossible. And with the Ringgit falling, it was even harder as businesses got hit as well.
Eventually I got an offer to work here in Singapore for a ‘permanent’ job with even higher pay. Life here isn’t much different than in Kuala Lumpur although safety wise, I’m less paranoid here going out of the streets especially in ungodly hours and transportation is fairly easier as their bus system almost basically goes anywhere in this city state. In Kuala Lumpur, because of how easy and cheap it is to acquire cars, public transport accessibility is more inferior. For a foreign worker buying a car is not an immediate option although I could afford it if I really wanted to.
Now, my experiences maybe different from the millions of other OFW’s across the world but if I can sum up the advantages of working abroad I can mention several things that are advantageous for me working in a more developed country.
- Pay is higher. This is a no brainer since most of the countries an OFW would work for has a better economy than the Philippines.
- Travel time and comfort of travelling to and from work is more convenient in a developed country . This is a major factor for me since if I go back home, I’m pretty sure I would be one of those sheeps lining up to public transport and laboring in traffic jams praying to be able to come home soon and that rain spare me before I reach a proper roof. In most countries OFW’s work for, this is very rare occurrence to travel laboriously from home to work and vice versa. This is also a reason why work from home is a preferred option for most returning OFW’s.
- Internet speeds. To some, this maybe a non-factor, but for me who always likes to be connected and is so used to it going back to a country with struggling internet speeds and stability seems like a nightmare. I know because I come back home for vacation at least once a year and this makes me scratch my hairless head all the time.
- Weather. Malaysia and Singapore may have the same tropical climate as the Philippines but these two countries seldom encounter all day heavy rains much more typhoons. So your safety going outside is rarely compromised due to weather. This I know we don’t have control over but better and more reliable infrastructure can help to alleviate the problems natural disasters impose in the Philippines, if only we progress enough.
- This one is a lesser priority but factors in to my decision to stay as well. The ability to travel to other places and countries without having to take an airplane (which is most often costlier and more hassling) or at least the travel time is shorter. The Philippines like Indonesia is almost like an isolated country from the rest of Southeast Asia since it is one of the countries in the edges of the Asian continent. I find it convenient and fun that I can take a bus ride to go to Malaysia or even as far as Thailand’s southern edges, or just a boat ride to Batam or Bintan, Indonesia. In the Philippines this is nigh impossible.
So to sum it up, if in some ways the Philippines would at least be at par with the conveniences and advantages that I mentioned above (except the last part about proximity to other countries of course), I think most Filipinos won’t hesitate to go back and stay for good.
I’m still a believer that the country someday would reach the same levels of development good enough for people to consider working abroad as just truly personal preference or option. But for now we can expect that more Filipinos would continue to find employment away from their loved ones and cherished home land until the Philippines truly realizes it’s potential and keep it’s children within it’s bounds.
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