Philippine labour migration to Taiwan: Social, political, demographic, and economic dimensions

Abstract

The Philippines has become one of today’s leading exporters of migrants. This migration flow largely results from internal demographic and economic pressures, but has also been brought about by the policy decisions of the Philippine government which sees potential relief from remittances and reduction of unemployment. The continued cycling of labour migrants for more than 30 years has resulted in a “culture” of migration. Destinations for temporary labour migrants are influenced as well by demographic determinants such as low birth rates in the destination country, leading to a need for labourers, and high birth rates in the sending country, leading to surplus labourers.