This research demonstrates the direct and immediate effect of COVID-19 pandemic on Overseas Filipino Workers’ (OFWs) salaries and remittances, considering their varying sociodemographic profile and prevailing salaries and remittances. Adopting Abella and Sasikumar’s (2020) formula applied to a sample of 1,025 OFWs, the study finds that OFWs who experienced early termination of contract due to COVID-19 lost around a quarter of their prospective salaries and remittances at 24.42% and 24.78%, respectively.
Based on disaggregated data analyses, the research further finds that the following have higher proportion of forgone to expected salaries and remittances (1) sea-based OFWs at 37.86% and 38.98%, correspondingly (vis-à-vis land-based OFWs); (2) male OFWs at 26.89% and 27%, respectively (vis-à-vis female OFWs); (3) sea-based male OFWs at 39.14% and 40.36%, correspondingly (vis-à-vis sea-based female, land-based female, land-based male OFWs); (4) OFWs who worked in Hong Kong at 27.95% and 29.23%, respectively (vis-à-vis those who worked in other top destination countries of land-based OFWs); and (5) OFWs who worked in Maltaregistered vessels at 50.21% and 55.26%, correspondingly (vis-à-vis those who worked in other top flags of registry of vessels among sea-based OFWs). These results serve as valuable preliminary information for labor migration policymakers and stakeholders in the Philippines.
KEYWORDS: COVID-19 pandemic, Overseas Filipino Workers, forgone salary, forgone remittance, labor migration
RESEARCHERS: John Emmanuel B. Villanueva, Chelsea Nicole P. Pineda, Athena Mari E. Son