The Philippines ranked among the countries with the strongest preference for self-employment, with more than eight in 10 Filipinos saying they would rather work for themselves than for someone else, according to a global study by cross-border payments provider Remitly Business.

In a study involving more than 5,000 respondents across 28 countries, Remitly Business found that 82.8 percent of Filipinos would prefer to be their own boss, placing the Philippines sixth globally, Remitly Global Inc. said in a statement on Monday, May 25.

Kenya topped the rankings with 98 percent of respondents preferring self-employment, followed by South Africa at 92.7 percent, and Morocco at 90.7 percent.

India ranked fourth at 90 percent, followed by Mexico at 84 percent, while the Philippines came next, ahead of the United States (US), Japan, Canada, and Brazil.

Globally, nearly three-quarters or 74.6 percent of respondents said they would rather be self-employed than work for someone else.

The study comes amid the growing popularity of entrepreneurship and freelance work online, with TikTok’s “#beyourownboss” hashtag already generating more than 730,000 posts.

According to Remitly Business, the top reasons people prefer self-employment are independence and control over how they work, cited by 72.7 percent of respondents, followed by greater flexibility over work schedules and location at 68.7 percent, and better work-life balance at 60.3 percent.

Financial gain ranked only fifth at 48.2 percent, suggesting that autonomy rather than income is the primary attraction of self-employment for many workers globally.

The study also found a strong interest in international work arrangements, with 58.1 percent of respondents saying they would want to serve overseas clients or operate businesses across borders.

Despite the strong preference for entrepreneurship, only 33.3 percent of respondents globally said they were likely to take concrete steps toward self-employment within the next 12 months.

Financial uncertainty remained the biggest obstacle, with 56.5 percent citing unstable income as their main concern, followed by difficulty finding enough work or clients at 51.9 percent and fear of failure at 50.6 percent.

More than half of respondents also said they would need to earn at least 1.5 times more than their current salary before seriously considering self-employment, while 22.9 percent said they would need to at least double their income.

Meanwhile, Australia, New Zealand, and Czech Republic ranked highest among countries where respondents preferred traditional employment over self-employment.

According to the study, the strongest reasons for preferring regular employment were job security and benefits such as pensions and sick pay, lower financial risk, and avoiding the responsibilities associated with running a business.

The survey also highlighted skepticism toward entrepreneurship content on social media.

More than eight in 10 respondents or 84 percent agreed that social media makes self-employment appear more appealing than it actually is, while 81 percent said “hustle culture” places excessive pressure on people to constantly work or earn money.

In addition, 78.1 percent believed that most people underestimate the risks of self-employment, while 64 percent said the current economic environment makes entrepreneurship feel riskier than before.

“Our research highlights a growing gap between the ambition to start a business and the confidence to take that first step,” said Ankur Tiwari, Remitly Business vice president and general manager.

“Many people are drawn to the independence and flexibility that entrepreneurship can offer, but ongoing financial uncertainty is making it harder to make the leap,” he added.

Tiwari also noted that entrepreneurship is becoming increasingly global, with more people wanting to build businesses that operate across borders from the start.

“Handling finances across countries has traditionally been complex, but the right tools can make it far more seamless and accessible for small businesses,” he said.

The survey was conducted through Prolific and covered 5,105 adults across 28 countries. Results were analyzed at both global and country levels, with all data accurate as of May 2026.