Age discrimination

Poor employment opportunities have driven approximately 10 millions Filipinos overseas to find decent jobs. In foreign lands they develop a broader worldview and gain experience that can prove useful when they return to their own land.

This, however, doesn’t happen as often as it should. Many overseas Filipino workers often return home only for annual vacations of a few weeks, and come back for good only upon retirement. When their work contracts, usually good for a year or two, expire, they prefer to find temporary jobs in neighboring countries, even as undocumented workers, before renewing their regular contracts or finding new long-term employment.

Those who return to the Philippines in hopes of parlaying their overseas experience into better jobs here are discouraged, according to a migrant workers’ advocacy group, by age discrimination in many companies. The Ople Policy Center reported that job opportunities begin narrowing for Filipinos, including OFWs, at around 30 years old. The center is seeking legislation to deal with the problem and support OFWs who want to return and find meaningful work in their own country.

While legislators are studying the proposal, they should also consider related measures that will promote more employment opportunities for older Filipinos. Productivity generally does not diminish with age. In fact in several professions, valuable experience and training that can be obtained only through many years on the job enhance workers’ performance.

Instead of facing discrimination, experienced workers should be receiving higher pay and benefits commensurate with better output. Measures can be passed to provide incentives for employers to remove hiring policies that discriminate on the basis of age. Additional incentives can be offered to employers who hire returning OFWs.

President Aquino has said he wants to create an environment that will make it unnecessary for a large chunk of the population to find decent jobs abroad. Removing age discrimination in the workplace is one way of encouraging OFWs to return home for good.