Reverse Exodus: IT Professionals Coming Home?
Guru “can be a pro-blogger but does not want to admit it” Migz Paraz wrote a piece on developer exodus a few months back. In his article, Migs mentions the growing trend of Philippine software development talent moving abroad to find jobs that have more lucrative pay. This is typical of Java, dotNET and C/C++ programmers, but equally applies to other fields such as networking, systems administration and database administration.
… In the Java community, it seems a lot of folks are moving to Singapore. I heard it’s because the Indians are going home? Our little group had a get-together to send people off. One of my friends was asking each one of us, why don’t you go to the US? It could be elsewhere. (Though US jobs nowadays seem to be bodyshop types and not direct hires.) …
A few weeks back, I changed my YM status message to “Are you a programmer and want something better? Yu needs You!”. This was in line with our company’s really aggressive recruitment drive. This is because we are growing so fast that we need more talented developers to fill our requirements pipeline. More jobs!
Because of this new YM status message, a lot of my old friends working near shore have been sending feelers inquiring about the job postings. A lot of them have also noted that some other friends are already going home to the Philippines because jobs are getting pretty abundant at home. (Ever notice the marked increase in job postings on our mailing lists and a lot of these companies actually pay pretty well). This means the reverse is also true. A good number of those who went abroad a few years back are contemplating coming home already. Why so soon? Here are a number of the most common reasons I have heard to date.
- Need a more stable job. Most of the jobs near shore like Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia (or OFW-type work in first world countries or middle east) are typically high paying but contractual. Most of these jobs only have six (6) month to one (1) year renewable contracts. The pay is great but stability is definitely absent.
- Jobs as Automatons. A lot of our fellow Filipinos actually get jobs as automatons. Basically, they just do one really specialized thing all day everyday. Some people can’t take that type of mind numbing work.
- Home sick. Being away for a long time could definitely make anybody homesick. As a family-oriented culture, we Filipinos like being near our family, friends and loved ones. This “support group” is typically absent in most foreign destinations. We can easily make friends but most would also like to have family.
- Cost of Living Discrepancy. Sometimes, the pay maybe higher but cost of living is also higher. There are some cities, where Filipinos get assigned to, that are just really expensive to live in and the pay only incrementally better. Some are willing to go home with lower pay but with lower cost of living too.
- Second Class Citizens. Yup, this is sad but true. In a highly globalized world, we would like to believe that racism is a thing of the past. Well, that is not true all the time. A lot of our Kabayans are actually treated as second class citizens and just can’t take it anymore. This is definitely NOT the norm. But, when it happens news travels quickly.
- I can’t survive without househelp! Face it. Househelp in other countries, even near shore, is a luxury that is pretty costly. Believe it or not!
- I love the Philippines!. Well … even those who go abroad probably still love the Philippines anyway. But, it IS a common stated reason for coming home.
Probably, the number of developers going out is still more than the number of developers coming back. But, this is just a sign that there are certain benefits and trade-offs to be made when going abroad. It is now just a question of what one values. A number of them go and get high yield and low stability jobs just to save up. It is because of this that going abroad to oversees destinations or as OFWs definitely make a big positive impact on the Philippine Economy. So kudos to our Kabayans abroad! Let us just hope that when they do decide to come home opportunities await them (in the form of Jobs or Businesses).
March 16th, 2007 at 7:50 pm
about being a second class citizen, i might be lucky since I really don’t feel that way. The only sad thing is that, I’m usually treated as a second class citizen by my fellow pinoys here. I can usually stand up for myself in other cases, but when it’s a fellow pinoy that you’re standing up to, you just can’t do anything but feel helpless. that no matter what you do, it’s gonna end up all wrong. here’s one of my posts about my experience http://ladygadfly.com/blog/?p=24
about reverse exodus, my mom and her husband will go home to the philippines to retire. main reason: to be with her siblings. family is a big part of filipino society. it has pros and cons, but we’re really lucky to have a huge family.
March 17th, 2007 at 12:42 am
reverse exodus is good! at least, we get to bring back some of the learnings from america. i hope they come back to become productive members of our society … even in retirement! yipee!
well in your PAL case, they might just be jealous because you are pretty safe already and have a secure job. they are just venting their frustrations on you. this is true with any form of discrimination. i believe they only discriminate because they are insecure (afraid of loosing their jobs to low cost laborers, afraid of their status as citizens, afraid of getting out shone). i am sure deep inside they are nice people too. just nice people with problems and insecurities.
September 15th, 2007 at 1:50 am
I’m an OFW who moved in to Singapore for a better work opportunity. I’d like to share my thoughts about the things you listed down:
* Need a more stable job - Most (if not all) Filipinos I met here at Singapore have the same motivation why they accepted the job opportunities here - better compensation. I think most of the employment of Filipinos here are on a contractual basis which is also the same scenario in the Philippines. I don’t think Filipinos will also find job security in the Philippines and worse a compensation that is not commensurate. A permanent job status doesn’t necessarily means a secured job.
* Jobs as Automatons - Yes I have to agree with on this but most Filipinos don’t mind it as long as the job will provide them a better paycheck to support their families. For us our topmost priority is livelihood, second is work preference. I finally accepted this fact after my wife gave birth to twin babies. Reality bites.
* Home sick - This is only a temporary setback but true it’s the most difficult situation to deal with for most OFWs. There are many ways to fight off home sickness like picking up a new skill or hobby, meet new friends, etc. I always spend time on weekends chatting with my family via Skype and every month I make it a point to go home even on weekends.
* Cost of Living Discrepancy - Cost of living may be cheap in the Philippines but majority of Filipinos can’t afford a “comfortable” lifestyle. I had a discussion about this topic with my fellow Filipino colleagues here and we observed that even though commodities here in Singapore are very expensive compared to the Philippines, Filipinos workers can still afford to buy these because they have the purchasing power.
* Second Class Citizens - I don’t mind being a second class citizen as long as I can earn a decent living for my family. I think most OFWs share the same belief. Racial discrimination may not be that common in the Philippines but majority of Filipinos are discriminated by their social/financial status. The gap between the rich and poor in the Philippines is something even worse than racial discrimination. Hence, a typical working class Filipino is still treated as a second class citizen at his/her own country.
* I can’t survive without househelp - D.I.Y. is adventurous and fun! I think the elite Pinoys are the ones who will have a hard time dealing with realities once they leave the luxurious life from their families. But for majority of Filipinos who are used to a D.I.Y. and pragmatic lifestyle this is not a major concern. It’s a good way to learn on how to be genuinely independent and practical in life.
* I love the Philippines! - We OFWs also do that’s why we sacrifice ourselves to help our families and even the economy of the country for a better future!
September 15th, 2007 at 2:20 am
Mabuhay ang OFW! It is definitely true that you guys have made a lot of sacrifices and that life “ain’t that bad” abroad. I have been out numerous times and I do fine an “amore” to going out and seeing new signs. However, each person probably wants to help “Mother Philippines” in their own way.
Thanks for the input.