An alarming 83 percent of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who returned to the country as a result of the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic were found to be still unemployed on an average of three months post-arrival.
This is just one of the stunning results of the “COVID-19 Impact Assessment on Returned Overseas Filipino Workers”, an extensive report conducted by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) as part of its global response to the pandemic and to better understand the challenges and needs of migrant workers.
The 51-page report was based on interviews with over 8,000 returned OFWs who were displaced by the pandemic. Citing government statistics, the IOM said the number of returning OFWs reached nearly 800,000 by the end of December 2020.
Among those interviewed OFW-returnees, nearly 16 percent said they bore the costs of the return journey, with females being more likely to finance and arrange the return journey themselves at 20 percent compared to 13 percent of males.
Nearly half or 48 percent of returning OFWs expressed a desire to re-migrate internationally, while only 2 percent showed an interest in internal migration, said the IOM report.
It was established that the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a 75 percent reduction in the deployment of OFWs in 2020, the country’s lowest deployment number ever in the span of over three decades.
The report also shows that almost half of OFWs had a 60 percent drop in their household income upon return.
According to Kristin Dadey, IOM Philippines Chief of Mission, the ongoing global COVID-19 crisis and border restrictions continue to have an “adverse impact” on human mobility with migrant workers and their remittance-dependent communities being some of the most vulnerable groups.
“Understanding the impacts of COVID-19 on OFWs and their families is critical to identify emerging gaps in migration governance and international cooperation adhering to the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. Findings of the report could support key stakeholders in developing migrant-centered policies and programs with the most recent and relevant information,” Dadey said during the report’s launching on Thursday, May 20, 2021.
In the course of the pandemic, the IOM has conducted various studies on the impact of COVID-19 on migration to support policymakers and has provided direct assistance to the government’s repatriation efforts.
This latest report further complements IOM’s initiative by informing future programs on international recruitment, migrant worker protection in times of crisis, and reintegration of returned OFWs.
Moreover, collected data is also used to map out returning OFW mobility flows and identify socio-demographic patterns of migration and needs, preferences, skills and experiences of returned OFWs.
United Nations Resident Coordinator and Chair of the UN Network on Migration in the Philippines Gustavo Gonzalez cited the significance of the IOM report that in the formulation of policies that will fill existing gaps in migrants’ welfare and safety.
The assessment and report were supported with funding from the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany and produced in partnership with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration.