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Lesson 5.3
Global Migration
Objectives: At the end of the lesson, the students are expected to
1. Analyze the political, economic, cultural, and social factors underlying the global movements of
people
2. Display first-hand knowledge of the experiences of OFWs

Activity: OFW Interview

Each student will be asked to interview a former or a current OFW (face-to-face or online). In
class they will share what they learned from these interviews about transnationalism and the
factors that affect global migrations.

Reading Materials
1. Castles, Stephen. 2000. “International Migration at the Beginning of the Twenty First Century:
Global Trends and Issues.” International Social Science Journal 52 (165): 269–281.
2. Aguilar, Filomeno V. 2012. “Differentiating Sedimented from Modular Transnationalism: The
View from East Asia.” Asian and Pacific Migration Journal 21(2): 149–171.

RESEARCH PAPER WRITING 1

Objectives
1. Write a research paper proposal with proper citation
2. Critique research proposals of classmates
Activity:
Mini-lecture on citation methods for research papers
Research Proposal Writing and Critiquing
1. Students will begin writing a 500-word proposal for their final research paper.
2. Students will pair off (pair discussion) and critique each other’s research proposals.

Introduction

Global migration refers to a situation in which people change place of residence usually to foreign
countries. Migration and movement are a part of human life for a variety of reasons such as jobs, war,
family, and money. People who leave their country are said to emigrate. People who move into another
country are called immigrants. The movement of people into a country is known as immigration.

The economic effects of migration vary widely. Sending countries may experience both gains and losses.
Temporary workers for receiving countries will help address skills shortages but may decrease domestic
wages and add to public welfare burden.

Types of Migration

1. Internal Migration. This is the movement of people within one common place triggered usually
by factors such as: search for better education, better economic opportunity, natural disasters,
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and civil unrests. In many developing countries, large numbers of people have moved from the
countryside to the cities. This is called rural to urban migration.
2. External Migration. This refers to movement outside of one's home country triggered usually
by factors such as: education, life improvement, economic prospects, and politics. An example
of this type of migration is the movement of refugees into a neighboring nation due to unsafe
conditions in their home country or movement of asylum seeker, someone who has been forced
to leave their own country because they are in danger due to their religious beliefs or the
danger of war.
3. Seasonal Migration. This is the movement of people from one area to another with each season
in pursuit of better conditions for themselves and their livestock and that once conditions
improve, they usually head back. This type of movement is typically carried out by nomadic
farmers in the sub-Saharan regions of Africa, pastoralist communities located in Kenya in search
of pasture for their livestock away from their homes.

Causes of Migration

The following are the causes which forced villagers to migrate to cities.

1. Employment opportunities (the most common reason)

2. lack of opportunities
3. better education
4. construction of dams
5. globalization
6. natural disaster (flood
and drought)
7. crop failure

Factors Why People Migrate

1. Push factors - The

reasons why people leave
a place
2. Pull factors - The reasons
why people are attracted
to new places to live.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Migration

Migration can bring advantages and disadvantages to the country which is losing people and also to the
host country.

Country losing people

Advantages Disadvantages
Money sent home by People of working age move out reducing the size of the country's
migrants potential workforce
Decreases pressure on Creates gender imbalances because it is typically men who seek to find
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jobs and resources employment elsewhere. Women and children are left
Migrants may return with 'Brain drain' if many skilled workers leave
new skills

Host country

Advantages Disadvantages
A richer and more diverse culture Increasing cost of services such as health care and education
Helps to reduce any labour shortages Overcrowding
Migrants are more prepared to take Disagreements between different religions and cultures
on low paid, low skilled jobs

Obstacles that the migrant may need to overcome

The following are the problems one should face when he or she migrates to another country:

1. unemployment in new country

2. racial discrimination
3. cultural differences
4. language barriers
5. lack of opportunities

Global Migration Trends

The Global Migration Indicators 2018 report is a snapshot of what we know about migration today. The
data is organized along 17 key migration themes and based largely on data taken from Global Migration
Data Portal – IOM’s one-stop-shop for international migration data. The report aims to provide a
baseline for objectives in the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration and migration-
related targets included in the Sustainable Development Goals.

1. MIGRANT POPULATION (STOCKS)

5 Million FOREIGN-BORN PERSONS entered

OECD countries in 2016.
258 Million INTERNATIONAL MIGRANTS were
3. LABOUR MIGRANTS
counted globally in 2017 – people residing in a
country other than their country of birth. This
represented 3.4% of the world’s total
population.

2. MIGRANT FLOWS
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150.3 Million MIGRANT WORKERS were

counted globally in 2015.

4. INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

50 Million IRREGULAR MIGRANTS were

estimated to be living around the world in 2009.

8. REFUGEES

4.8 Million INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS were

counted in 2016, up from 2 million in 2000.

5. REMITTANCES

25.4 Million REGISTERED REFUGEES were

counted in 2017.

9. RESETTLEMENT

$466 Billion OF REMITTANCES were sent to low-

and middle-income countries in 2017. This is
more than three times the size of official
development assistance.

6. DISPLACEMENT

102,800 REFUGEES were admitted for

resettlement worldwide in 2017.

10. MISSING MIGRANTS

68.5 Million INDIVIDUALS were forcibly

displaced worldwide due to persecution,
conflict, generalized violence, human rights
violations, or other reasons by the end of 2017.

7. IRREGULAR MIGRANTS
6,163
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MIGRANTS lost their lives or went missing

during migration in 2017, at a minimum.

11. TRAFFICKING & MODERN SLAVERY

$ 6.7 Trillion CONTRIBUTION Migrants

contributed 6.7 trillion US dollars to global GDP
in 2015 – a share of 9.4% of the total global GDP
that year.
25 Million VICTIMS OF FORCED LABOUR were
estimated in 2016. Out of those, 5 million may 15. CHILDREN
have crossed an international border.

12. MIGRANT SMUGGLING

14% CHILDREN In 2017, children represented 14

per cent of the stock of international migrants.
2.5 Million IRREGULAR MIGRANTS were 15. WOMEN
smuggled for an economic return of USD 5.5-7
billion in 2016.

13. RETURNS

48.8% WOMEN In 2017, women represented

48.8 per cent of the stock of international
migrants.
72,176
16. ENVIRONMENT
VOLUNTARY RETURNS were assisted by IOM in
2017 worldwide.

14. INTEGRATION AND WELL-BEING

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66 Million ADULTS or 1.3% of the world’s adult

population, had plans to move permanently to
another country in the next 12 months in 2015.

19. PUBLIC OPINION

18.8 Million PEOPLE in 135 countries were

newly displaced by sudden-onset disasters
within their own countries in 2017.

17. GOVERNANCE
22% OF THE WORLD´S POPULATION is generally
more likely to want national immigration to be
kept at its present level (22%) or increased
(21%), rather than decreased (34%) in 2015.

20. MIGRATION DATA CAPACITY

39 COUNTRIES have taken part in IOM´s

Migration Governance Indicators project as of
2018.

18. POTENTIAL MIGRATION

87%+ COUNTRIES asked about country of birth,
75% asked for citizenship and 50% for the year
or period of arrival, in their 2010 censuses.

 * These figures are based on 2017 data where available. Where this was not possible, the latest available data was taken.

Reasons Why Filipinos Choose to Become Overseas Filipino Workers

1. Better career advancement opportunities. There is still so much discrimination in the

workplace that some people who are qualified get hired due to connections. So, for some
OFWs who have become disenchanted with such practice, they look for better opportunities
abroad because they want to prove their worth.
2. Better salaries and benefits. Filipinos who wish to have a better life seek opportunities
elsewhere justifying that they would have to earn much more abroad than toil for lesser
money in the country. Come to think of it, it does make perfect sense.
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3. Familial pressure and peer influence. OFWS get pressured into the situation because they
see that their friends and their neighbors are getting somewhere in life because they went
to take jobs abroad.
4. High unemployment rate. It is commendable that Filipinos do not want to be included in
the ranks of the unemployed so they rather would find some better opportunities abroad.
5. Job discrimination. Some people who are qualified get sidetracked because someone with a
pleasing personality fits better in the position even though she is sub-qualified. Some
industries tend to look at the academic background and the other consideration rather than
the things that should matter.
6. Job mismatches. Better to be able to practice what you have learned than to toil in the
native country in a job mismatch that does you no justice seems to be the popular
justification for this reason.
7. Opportunity for travel and culture-exchange. Getting a job broad creates opportunities to
travel and visit such places and become a way to expand horizons.
8. Realizing a dream. Some OFWs really do not want to stay and work in the country in the
first place as they have been dreaming of working internationally since their childhood.
9. The government supports OFWs. Government creates good service for these people who
bring in valuable income for the government through their timely remittances – they get
better services as well.
10. Unstable economic conditions. This refers to varying economic policies which make it
difficult for industries to thrive and for jobs to be continuously created for the masses.

Total Number of OFWs Estimated at 2.3 Million (Results from the 2018 Survey on Overseas Filipinos)
(From https://www.pinoyinspirations.com/reasons-why-filipinos-choose-to-become-overseas-filipino-workers/)

In a report released by Perez (2019) of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the number of Overseas
Filipino Workers (OFWs) who worked abroad at anytime during the period April to September 2018 was
estimated at 2.3 million. Overseas Contract Workers (OCWs) with existing work contract comprised 96.2
percent of the total OFWs during the period April to September 2018.The rest (3.8%) worked overseas
without contract.

There were more females than males among the OFWs, with the female OFWs comprising 55.8 percent
of the total OFWs.  Female OFWs were generally younger than male OFWs, with about half (47.5%) of
the female OFWs belonging to the age group 25 to 34 years. In comparison, male OFWs in this age
group made up 38.9 percent.  Male OFWs aged 45 years and older accounted for 21.2 percent of all
male OFWs while their female counterparts in this age group made up 14.5 percent.
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Among occupation groups, elementary occupations (37.1%) was the biggest group of OFWs.  Other large
occupation groups were the service and sales workers (18.8%) and plant and machine operators and
assemblers (13.8%). More than half of the female OFWs were in elementary occupations (58.7%).
Among the male OFWs, the largest groups were plant and machine operators and assemblers workers
(27.8%).

CALABARZON reported the biggest  share of OFWs with 17.9 percent  followed  by  Central Luzon with
14.3 percent, and  the National Capital Region  and  Ilocos  Region  each  with 9.7 percent share. Fifty
percent of the total OFWs came from these four regions (Table 2).
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One out of four (24.3%) OFWs worked in Saudi Arabia, which remained to be the top destination of
OFWs in April to September 2018. OFWs who worked in United Arab Emirates comprised 15.7
percent.Hongkong (6.3%),Kuwait (5.7%),Taiwan (5.5%) and Qatar (5.2%) were the other popular
destinations of OFWs.

The total remittance sent by OFWs during the period April to September 2018 was estimated at 235.9
billion pesos. These remittances included cash sent home (169.4 billion pesos),cash brought home (55.2
billion pesos) and remittances in kind (11.2 billion pesos).  The majority of OFWs sent their remittance
through banks (52.8%) while the rest through money transfer services (45.0%), agencies or local offices
(2.0%) and the rest at 0.1 percent, respectively.

The remittances sent by OFWs to their respective families may just be a part of the total salary received
by the OFWs. Data on remittances in this report are based on the answers given by the survey
respondents to the questions on how much cash remittance was received by the family during the period
April to September 2018 from a family member who is an OFW and how much cash did this member
bring home during the reference period, if any. Further, if the family received goods and products sent by
this OFW during the reference period, then the imputed value of such goods  was  included  in his/her
total remittance.

What are the problems of OFW?

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These include

1. abuse of employer
2. discrimination
3. homesickness
4. problems with co-workers

References:

1. BBC. Population and Migration. Retrieved from

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zkg82hv/revision/5
2. UN Migration. (2017). Global Migration Trends. Retrieved from https://www.iom.int/global-
migration-trends
3. PinoyInspirations. (2017). Reasons Why Filipinos Choose to Become Overseas Filipino
Workers. Retrieved from https://www.pinoyinspirations.com/reasons-why-filipinos-choose-
to-become-overseas-filipino-workers/
4. Perez, J. (2018). Total Number of OFWs Estimated at 2.3 Million. PSA. Retrieved from
https://psa.gov.ph/content/total-number-ofws-estimated-23-million-results-2018-survey-
overseas-filipinos-0