By Mata Press Service

More than half of overseas Filipino workers remain undecided about returning to the Philippines, with many saying weak job prospects, financial insecurity and concerns about the country’s future make coming home too risky.

A major new report from Boston Consulting Group found that just 21 per cent of surveyed OFWs were certain they would return, while another 14 per cent said they probably would.

Fifty-six per cent had yet to decide. Nine per cent said they were unlikely to return or had ruled it out.

The findings challenge the familiar image of overseas work as a temporary journey in which Filipinos leave, earn money, support their families and eventually come home.

For many, that journey no longer has a clear ending.

“The Philippines cannot ask OFWs to come home on the strength of sentiment alone,” the report said. “What is missing, for many, is confidence.”

The June 2026 report, The Filipino Abroad, surveyed 1,337 OFWs across the United States, United Kingdom, Middle East and Asia. The Asian respondents were based in Hong Kong and Singapore, while the Middle East sample covered Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Researchers found that the desire to return often remains strong, particularly among workers in the Middle East and Asia. But that desire is being tested against the practical cost of leaving the lives they have built abroad.

Among OFWs who said they would probably return, 60 per cent cited difficulty finding a job in the Philippines as a factor that could change their plans. Fifty-eight per cent feared a family emergency or financial crisis would make returning impossible, while 56 per cent pointed to concerns about safety and the country’s future.

Just over half said a better job offer outside the Philippines could persuade them to remain abroad.

Even workers firmly committed to returning said they needed to reach major financial milestones first.

Eighty-one per cent were waiting to meet a savings target. Fifty-two per cent wanted a child to finish school, 49 per cent needed to complete a work contract and 44 per cent had decided to remain abroad for a set number of years.

Among those abroad for one to two years, 26 per cent were certain they would move back. That fell to 16 per cent among those who had been away for at least five years.

Over the same period, the share unlikely to return rose fourfold, from four per cent to 16 per cent.

Careers, permanent residency, children’s schooling and a growing sense of belonging in another country gradually make the decision more difficult.

The study also found a sharp divide based on income. Thirty-eight per cent of the highest-income OFWs were certain they would return, compared with 12 per cent among those in the lower C3 income category.

For workers with limited savings, returning can mean giving up a reliable salary without knowing whether they will find stable work at home.

That calculation helps explain why more than two million Filipinos continue to work overseas.

The number of OFWs recovered to about 2.19 million in 2024, returning to its pre-pandemic level. Taken together, they would form a population larger than most Philippine provinces.

Cash remittances from overseas Filipinos reached US$35.6 billion in 2025, up from US$32.5 billion in 2022. The money was equal to about seven per cent of the Philippines’ gross domestic product and exceeded the country’s foreign currency earnings from tourism and agriculture.

One in every 14 Filipino families has an OFW member, according to the report.

The money sent home pays for food, school fees, medicine, housing, debt and family emergencies. For many households, the OFW is the main protection against a sudden financial crisis.

The need is acute. A related BCG survey found that 64 per cent of Filipino families could not cover a ₱10,000 hospital bill without borrowing money or using health insurance.

That vulnerability is one of the main forces driving Filipinos overseas.

Sixty-nine per cent of OFWs surveyed cited higher income as a leading reason for leaving, while 57 per cent wanted a better quality of life. Forty-one per cent left to support their families or pay for their children’s education, and 30 per cent pointed to the lack of jobs in the Philippines.

Only 17 per cent said they had been certain from the start that they wanted to work abroad. Nearly one-third had considered staying in the same job, while 27 per cent had thought about opening a small business.

Once overseas, most OFWs remained more confident in the countries where they worked than in the Philippines.

The survey recorded a net satisfaction score of 71 per cent for the current future of their host countries, compared with 32 per cent for the Philippines. Looking three to five years ahead, the gap remained wide at 72 per cent versus 44 per cent.

Despite those doubts, overseas Filipinos haven’t withdrawn from family life.

The report describes the modern Filipino family as a “cross-border household” in which OFWs remain providers, decision-makers and active family members.

They use mobile wallets to pay bills, approve expenses and direct money toward tuition, medical costs and savings. They join family discussions through Messenger, WhatsApp and Viber and remain involved in decisions about schooling, housing, health care and investments.

Three-quarters of OFW mobile-wallet users said they used the technology to manage how money was spent, rather than simply transferring cash.

The study found that disagreements became more common over financial support, children’s education, medical care and household budgeting. Lower-income OFWs were the most likely to want greater control over family spending.

The report calls on banks, insurers, employers and government agencies to stop viewing OFWs mainly as sources of remittances.

It says services should be built around the entire cross-border household, including products that allow workers to direct funds toward education, health care, insurance, investments and retirement.

The findings also carry a broader warning for the Philippine government.

OFWs may be celebrated as modern-day heroes, but the country continues to rely heavily on people who felt they had to leave to secure a stable future for their families.

Most haven’t rejected the Philippines. Many remain homesick and hope to return.

They are waiting for evidence that returning home won’t undo everything they sacrificed years to build.