The Philippines is expected to remain a major supplier of caregivers, nurses, and domestic workers to aging economies in the Asia-Pacific region, although state-run policy think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) warned that Filipina migrant workers continue to face precarious working conditions, gender inequality, and limited social protections abroad.

In a discussion paper published last Monday, May 25, titled “The Future of Work in Aging Societies: Filipina Migrant Workers in the Asia-Pacific Value Chains,” PIDS said rapidly aging populations in Singapore, Japan, and Australia are increasingly dependent on migrant labor to fill shortages in caregiving, domestic work, and healthcare services.

The study was authored by PIDS Philippine Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Study Center Network project development officer IV Jean Clarisse T. Carlos, University of the Philippines (UP)-Diliman Asian Center professor Jocelyn O. Celero, and De La Salle University (DLSU) associate professor Evangeline O. Katigbak-Montoya.

The paper said the Philippines continues to maintain a comparative advantage in supplying skilled, English-speaking, and culturally adaptable caregivers across the region.

Using data from the Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) labor force survey (LFS) and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) records, the authors found that women dominate the country’s caregiving workforce and training pipeline.

The study showed that female participation in caregiving training programs exceeded 85 percent from 2023 to 2024. In 2024 alone, female enrollees in caregiving programs reached 38,607, while female graduates totaled 36,247.

PIDS said caregiving and healthcare-related occupations account for a significant share of female employment in the Philippines. Data from the December 2023 LFS showed around 417,381 employed women worked in nursing and health-related occupations, while 136,827 were engaged in caregiving or personal care work and 217,493 served as domestic helpers or cleaners.

The authors noted that Singapore, Japan, and Australia are all confronting severe demographic pressures that are driving demand for migrant care workers.

Singapore’s elderly population aged 65 and above is projected to account for 25 percent of residents by 2030, while Japan’s elderly population is expected to rise to 35.3 percent by 2040, cementing its status as a “super-aged” society. Australia’s aged population, meanwhile, is projected to reach 21 percent by 2030.

The study said these demographic trends are increasingly straining healthcare and eldercare systems across the region.

In Japan, the paper noted that labor shortages and fiscal pressures prompted the government to expand the recruitment of Filipino caregivers and nurses through labor and migration agreements with the Philippines.

However, the study said many Filipino workers in Japan continue to encounter language barriers, long working hours, and limited career mobility despite bilateral agreements meant to facilitate labor migration.

In Singapore, the authors said migrant workers help address growing care deficits caused by demographic aging and the increasing prevalence of dual-income households. But they noted that foreign domestic workers and caregivers continue to face restrictive labor policies and limited pathways to family reunification or long-term residency.

Australia may require more than 420,000 care workers by 2040 as its domestic labor force struggles to keep pace with the needs of a rapidly aging population, according to the study.

Despite the economic opportunities provided by overseas caregiving jobs, the paper warned that the Philippines itself faces long-term risks from the large-scale outflow of healthcare and care professionals.

Among the risks cited were a “care deficit” in Filipino households, brain drain in the domestic healthcare system, and continued overdependence on remittances, which account for nearly 10 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).

“The migration of skilled healthcare workers exacerbates existing shortages in the Philippines’ healthcare system,” the authors said.

To address these issues, the paper urged the Philippines to strengthen caregiving and healthcare training programs, expand digital and technology-enabled learning systems, improve financial literacy and reintegration programs for migrant workers, and establish a national care economy framework aligned with domestic labor needs.

The study also recommended broader regional cooperation across APEC economies, including improved portability of healthcare and pension benefits, digital labor-monitoring systems, ethical recruitment standards, and stronger recognition of migrant workers’ skills and credentials.

“Ultimately, the study concludes that Filipina migrant workers lie at the nexus of economic necessity and social reproduction,” the authors said.

“They sustain aging populations abroad while filling fiscal gaps at home through remittances, yet their work remains undervalued and insufficiently protected,” they added.