Philippines migration up despite economic crisis

Tens of thousands more people are leaving the Philippines to work abroad despite the global economic downturn which was expected to hit overseas employment, the labour department said Tuesday.
Departures by job-seekers rose 25 percent from a year earlier to 165,000 in January, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration administrator Jennifer Manalili told reporters.
"As of end-January we have deployed 165,000 and that's higher than last year -- and also considering that there is crisis," she added.
She said the data was the opposite of what the government had expected, following the return of several thousand laid off electronics workers mostly from Taiwan last year.
Manalili said the government was evaluating which jobs have disappeared since the economic slowdown gathered pace last year. About 8.5 million Filipinos temporarily work abroad and their remittances have become a major pillar in supporting the economy.