OFW remittances from Europe seen posting sustained gains

THE Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said on Thursday that it is projecting sustained growth in remittances from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Europe.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas reported record remittances overall last year with $37 billion, of which $3.8 billion came from Europe, DMW Undersecretary for Policy and International Cooperation Patricia Yvonne M. Caunan said at a virtual briefing on Thursday.

“From 2022, we can see that there was a 3-5% increase in remittances. We can see that with the number of engagements we’re having (in Europe), it will definitely increase in 2024,” she said.

The DMW signed a labor agreement with the Czech Republic last month, which raised the visa quota for OFWs to 10,500 from 2,000.

“Upon signing, we were able to see the demand from Czech companies for Filipino workers,” Ms. Caunan said.

She said that individual Philippine ambassadors in Europe have also attested to the demand for Filipino workers.

The Philippines signed a labor deal with Austria in Vienna last year. The undersecretary said the agreement was ratified last month.

“We are looking at (developing) a sustainable recruitment framework, especially in the recruitment of healthcare workers, in particular, our nurses. The DMW is focused on the cooperation framework, where we’ll work together (with partner countries) in ensuring, not just the supply of workers, but also in increasing the supply here in the country,” she added.

The DMW has also partnered with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority for the training of workers in industries other than healthcare.

DMW Officer-in-Charge Hans Leo J. Cacdac, a former administrator of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, said: “We know for sure that European governments are more than ever opening up (to Filipino workers).”

“We welcome this openness of European governments in the heightening or enhancing of the protection of our OFWs,” he added.

Ms. Caunan said Hungary, Portugal, and Spain are among the European nations the DMW signed labor partnerships with. Hungary, specifically, is asking for 10,000-20,000 more OFWs.

Finland and Denmark also visited the Philippines to explore possible labor agreements, Ms. Caunan said. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana