9 Best Countries for OFWs in terms of Job Opportunities

The 9 Best Countries for OFWs in terms of job opportunities are The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, The United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, and Australia. These countries provide jobs, career growth, higher salaries, and better quality of life for Overseas Filipino Workers.

As of 2020, there are an estimated 1.7 million Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) all over the world, which is about 1.6 percent of the total population of the Philippines. These numbers were composed of 1,013,200 (59.6%) women and 686,800 thousand (40.4%) men.

The main reason Filipinos work in Foreign Countries is to provide a better future for their families. They remit their salaries through Western Union back to the Philippines so they can buy a decent house and be able to send their kids to a better school. Other reasons Filipinos work abroad include searching for better career opportunities, a higher salary, career advancement, and better quality of life.

OFWs are hard-working, smart, resilient, and have unique work ethics. These 4 characteristics are loved by their foreign employers.

Also, Filipinos are willing to do tedious jobs that other foreign nationals are not willing to do. Sometimes the reality is Filipinos are also willing to deal with harsh bosses just to keep their jobs abroad.

This is why you can find Filipino workers in every part of the world. Filipinos work as Engineers, Doctors, Nurses, Seafarers, machine operators, and housekeepers. You can find them working in extremely hot or cold weather countries. You can find the top destination countries for OFWs below.

1. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA)

Saudi Arabia is located in Western Asia and its capital is Riyadh. It is the leading job destination country for Filipino workers.

Saudi Arabia is the country with the highest number of OFWs. About 500,000 or 26.6% of OFWs are working in KSA. Filipinos work in Saudi Arabia as Nurses, Engineers, Sales Persons, Accountants, Housekeepers, Hotel Managers, and Restaurant Managers.

Saudi Arabia’s economy is highly dependent on Fossil Fuel production and export as is it the biggest exporter of Oil and Gas in the world. Aside from the latter, the other industries in Saudi Arabia are Mining, Real Estate, Agriculture, and Automotive.

According to Investopedia, as of September 2022, Saudi Arabia is part of the top 25 economies in the world. The country occupies the 18th spot in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The currency of Saudi Arabia is the Saudi Rial. Depending on the currency exchange rate, One Saudi Rial is equivalent to 15.50 Philippine Pesos.

Saudi Arabia is located 7,944 KM (4936.17 Miles) west of Manila Philippines. From Manila, it will take you 10 hours and 35 minutes to reach Riyadh by plane.

2. United Arab Emirates

Another overseas destination for Filipinos to find work is the United Arab Emirates. The country’s capital is Abu Dhabi but its most popular city is Dubai. UAE is the second country with the most number of OFWs. Roughly 250,000 (14.6%) OFWs have made UAE their second home.

The United Arab Emirates is also reliant on Fossil Fuel production and export. However, the country was able to diversify its income to the following industries: Manufacturing, Retail Services, Tourism Services, Air Transportation, and Banking and Finance Services. According to the October 2022 data on oag.com, Dubai International Airport is the second busiest airport in the world surpassing Tokyo (Haneda) International Airport.

In UAE, you will find Filipinos working in the field of Engineering, Accounting, Hotel and Restaurant, Information Technology, construction, Healthcare, household, and Sales.

According to Global Finance Magazine, the United Arab Emirates is the 7 richest country in the world in terms of Gross Domestic Product Purchasing Power Parity (GDP PPP). UAE’s official currency is the UAE Dirham. One UAE Dirham is equivalent to 15.90 Philippine Pesos, depending on the currency exchange rate.

The United Arab Emirates is located 7,063 KM (4388,74 Miles) west of Manila, Philippines. From the country’s capital, it will take you 9 hours and 25 minutes to reach Abu Dhabi, UAE by plane.

3. Kuwait

The State of Kuwait is another country in the Middle East that is a go-to for Filipinos who want to find work overseas. Its capital is Kuwait City. The country’s population is 4.7 million as of 2022. The latter numbers are composed of 1.9 million Kuwaiti citizens and 2.8 million foreigners. This just proves that Filipinos and other nationalities love to work in Kuwait. As of 2022, there are about 113,000 (6.4%) OFWs in Kuwait.

The leading industries that drive Kuwait’s economy are petrochemicals and natural gas, banking and finance, agriculture, and steel manufacturing. Kuwait is self-sufficient when comes to food, and steel.

Filipinos land a job in Kuwait as waiters, drivers, domestic workers, engineers, technicians, managers, chefs, cooks, and salespersons.

Kuwait is one of the richest countries in the world. The data in Global Finance Magazine shows that Kuwait ranks 31st in terms of GDP-PPP. Kuwait’s official currency is the Kuwaiti Dinar (KWD). One KWD is equivalent to 188.00 Philippine Pesos depending on the currency exchange rate.

The State of Kuwait is located 7,636 KM (4744.79 Miles) west of Manila. From the latter, it will take you 10 hours by plane to reach Kuwait City.

4. Hong Kong

One of the tiger economies of Southeast Asia and the financial hub of the world, Hong Kong, is another destination for Overseas Filipino Workers. Its de facto capital is Victoria City. About 111,000 Filipinos are working and residing in this special administrative region.

According to www.censtatd.gov.hk Hong Kong’s economy relies on its 4 key industries. These are financial services, professional and producer services, tourism, and trading and logistics. Among the four, trading and logistics has generated the highest number of employments. It is followed by Professional and Producer Services.

Some key figures about Hong Kong: its stock market is the fifth biggest in the world in terms of market capitalization. Meanwhile, HK SAR is the 6th largest in the world in terms of goods traded. In 2019, Hong Kong ranked 5th in the Asia Pacific region when it comes to international tourist arrivals.

The bulk of Filipinos in Hong Kong work as house helpers. Filipinos also work there as Engineer, Software Engineer, analysts, musicians, and managers,

Hong Kong is located 1,118 Km (694.69 Miles) North West of Manila Philippines. From Manila, you can reach Hong Kong in about 2 hours and 25 minutes by plane. Its official currency is HK Dollar. One HK Dollar is equivalent to 7.41 Philippine Pesos depending on the currency exchange rate.

5. Qatar

Qatar’s major economic drivers are its Oil and Gas Industry, Steel production, Finance, and Ship Repair Industry. They have the 3rd largest Natural Gas and Petroleum reserves in the world, and they have Milaha Shipyard which is the leading ship repair yard in the Persian gulf region.

Qatar whose capital is Doha has always been on the list of richest nations in the world for the last 20 years. As of August 2022, Qatar is the 4th wealthiest country in the world and ranks 1st in the Middle East region.

This result can be attributed to two factors. They have huge Fossil Fuel reserves and a small population of about 2.9 million only. This number comprises about 12% Qatari Citizens and 88% Foreign Nationals. About 96,000 Filipinos are working in Qatar.

Most of the jobs in Qatar for Filipinos are in the fields of Hospitality, Health Care, Engineering, Maintenance, and Sales. Such work includes but is not limited to a nurse, driver, household worker, sales executive, teacher, carpenter, cook, technician, and engineer.

Qatar is located 7,312 KM (4543.47 Miles) west of Manila Philippines. From Manila to Doha, it will take you 9 hours and 30 minutes by airplane. Qatar’s official currency is the Qatari Riyal. One Qatari Riyal is equivalent to 15.98 Philippine Pesos, depending on the exchange rate.

6. Singapore

One of the fourth tiger economies of Asia, Singapore is another destination for overseas Filipino workers. As of August 2022, according to the Global Finance Magazine, Singapore is the second richest country in the world in terms of GDP-PPP. The country has a population of 5.45 million, 1.45 million of which are foreigners. In 2020, alone, there is an estimated 94000 Filipinos who are working in Singapore.

The main driving force in Singapore’s economy is its banking and finance sector, manufacturing sector, tourism, and logistics sector. The country is one of the top financial centers in the world as of September 2022, it has overtaken Hong Kong as the top financial hub in Asia. Singapore’s manufacturing sector contributes about 21% of its GDP.

Currently, the city-state is the 4th largest exporter of high-tech goods, and 5th largest producer of refined oil according to edb.gov.sg. When comes to tourism, in 2019, Singapore ranked in 7th place as the top destination city in the world. Singapore’s container port is the second biggest and busiest in the world.

Filipinos work in Singapore in the fields of healthcare, hotel and restaurant, Information Technology (IT), engineering, manufacturing, construction, and household services.

Singapore is located 2394 KM (1488 miles) southwest of Manila, Philippines. From Manila, it will take you 3 hours and 45 minutes by airplane to get to Changi International Airport. Singapore’s official currency is the Singapore Dollar (SGD). 1 SGD is equivalent to 41.31 Philippine Pesos, depending on the currency exchange rate.

7. Taiwan

Another Asian tiger, the Taiwan Province of China, is the 14th richest country in the world in terms of GDP-PPP according to Global Finance Magazine. The country is another leading job destination for overseas Filipino workers. Taiwan has a population of 23.9 million, 0.78 million of which are foreigners. The Filipino worker population in Taiwan is roughly 85,000.

The major industries in the country are the semiconductor Manufacturing Industry, services industry, and agriculture industry. Taiwan supplies over half of the microchips in the world through its leading semiconductor company TSMC.

According to asiafundmanagers.com, Taiwan’s service sector is the biggest contributor to its GDP which is about 60% of the country’s total. The manufacturing and Agriculture sector have 38% and 1.5%, respectively of the GDP.

Filipinos find jobs in Taiwan as factory workers, caretakers, domestic helpers, ITs, and Engineers.

Taiwan is located 1,011 KM (628.21 Miles) North of Manila, Philippines. From Manila, you can reach Taipei in 2 hours and 15 minutes by plane. Taiwan’s currency is the New Taiwan Dollar (NT$). 1 New Taiwan Dollar is equivalent to 1.82 Philippine Pesos, depending on the exchange rate.

8. Japan

Japan is another top job destination country for Filipinos. The country is the third-largest economy in the world in terms of nominal GDP. Despite the lack of major natural resources and precious metals, Japan still manages to occupy the top 3 spots from 2011 up to the present.

The factors contributing to its economy are its manufacturing sector, agriculture and fisheries, and tourism. Its automobile manufacturing industry is the third biggest in the world. Japan’s Toyota is the largest automotive manufacturer in 2021. Tokyo’s Tsukiji Fish Market is the largest in the world in terms of wholesale fish and kinds of seafood.

Japan is the third most visited country in the Asia-Pacific region. The Tokyo Haneda Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world with roughly 85 million passengers that visited the place in 2019.

There are about 62,000 OFWs in Japan. Filipinos find work in the latter as an engineer, care workers, nurses, factory workers, farmers, construction, food processors, technicians, and English Teachers.

Japan is located 2,950 km (1833.05 Miles) northeast of Manila, Philippines. Manila to Tokyo is about 4 hours and 5 minutes by airplane. Japan’s currency is the yen. 1 yen is equivalent to 0.39 pesos.

9. Australia

Australia lands on the list of top job destination countries for Filipinos because the country has jobs for skilled expats to help their economy to continuously prosper. The 6th biggest country in terms of land size on the planet and the 12 biggest economies in the world.

Australia’s economy is diverse, it has mining, finance, manufacturing, tourism, and agriculture. Among the mentioned, its mining industry stands out. The land down under is abundant with precious metals. It belongs to the top 10 producers of gold, silver, and copper. It also mines coal and it’s one of the biggest exporters.

As of present, there are an estimated 60,000 OFWs in Australia. Filipinos can take advantage of the in-demand jobs in Australia such as IT/computer programmers, educators/preschool teachers, automotive technicians, engineers, mining, nurses, and medical doctors.

Canberra, Australia is located 6286 KM (3905.94 Miles) southeast of Manila, Philippines. From Manila, it will take you 7 hours and 55 minutes to reach Canberra by airplane. The country’s official currency is the Australian Dollar (AUD). 1 Australian Dollar is equivalent to 37.27 Philippine Pesos, depending on the currency exchange rate.

Read also: Best Way to get a job for abroad while in the Philippines

Conclusion

There you go, guys! First of all, thanks to these countries for giving job opportunities thereby giving a better future and home to our overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). Thanks also to the manpower agencies in the Philippines for assisting our job seekers get a job in these countries.

You may notice that these countries have common factors when comes to hiring overseas workers. They are all basically rich countries in terms of GDP. Moreover, each country has key industries that drive its economy.

So, if you are a Filipino who is aspiring to find work abroad, you can consider these top countries. Then take a look at their key sectors, chances are they have job openings for Filipinos like you.