In het buitenland werken als Filipijns gastarbeider vs. op de Filipijnen blijven
Als je handelt
Een OFW-contract in het buitenland aannemen
38%
Als je niets doet
In de Filipijnen blijven
28%
Percentage dat later spijt heeft van elke keuze. De balken en het volledige overzicht staan hieronder.
Carrière
Laatst beoordeeld 2026-05-13
Kwaliteit van bewijs 3.38/5
Beoordelingsscore op acht dimensies volgens de
kwaliteitsrubriek
. Elke dimensie krijgt een score van 1 tot 5.
D1 Bronverificatie
4/5
D2 Autoriteit en onafhankelijkheid van bronnen
4/5
D3 Nauwkeurigheid van spijtcijfer
2/5
D4 Vergelijkbaarheid van bronnen
2/5
D5 Gilovich-patroon
4/5
D6 Prozakwaliteit
4/5
D7 Volledigheid van voorbehouden
4/5
D8 Steekproefkwaliteit
3/5
Gemiddelde3.38/5
Proxygegevens — er bestaat geen directe spijtenquête voor deze beslissing. De percentages zijn afgeleid van tevredenheidsscores en toegangsdrempelgegevens in plaats van vragen die direct naar spijt vroegen. Zie opmerkingen hieronder.
Spijt van handelen
Een OFW-contract in het buitenland aannemen
38%
Een kleine steekproef in Dubai (N=50) van OFW-ouders scoorde gemiddeld 16,3 op de depressieschaal van de DASS-21 (matige band) en 18,1 op angst (ernstige band); de studie rapporteert groepsgemiddelden en een kwalitatief spijtthema, geen directe spijtprevalentie — de 38% hier is een noodproxy, geen gemeten spijtpercentage
Filipijnse OFW-ouders in Dubai
dwarsdoorsnede, 2024
Spijt van nalaten
In de Filipijnen blijven
28%
~28% van de niet-migranten in OFW-zendende gemeenschappen uit spijt over misgelopen inkomen
Filipijnse niet-migranten in OFW-zendende gemeenschappen
dwarsdoorsnede, nationale enquête 2022
% betreurt deze keuze
Een OFW-contract in het buitenland aannemenIn de Filipijnen blijven
38%28%
balanced — Ongeveer in balans — beide keuzes leveren vergelijkbare spijt op.
Gerelateerde keuzes
Semantisch vergelijkbare keuzes — zelfde terrein, andere afwegingen.
The decision to work abroad as an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) involves a trade-off that Philippine social science has studied more systematically than almost any equivalent migration decision in the developing world. A 2024 peer-reviewed mixed-method study published in the Asian Journal of Education and Social Studies surveyed 50 OFW parents working in Dubai and their children aged 8 to 18 remaining in the Philippines. OFW parents showed mean depression scores of 16.3 and mean anxiety scores of 18.1 on the DASS-21 (placing the group, on average, in the moderate-depression and severe-anxiety bands), with anxiety similarly elevated among their children; qualitative responses indicated recurring parental regret over missing developmental milestones and family events, and children reporting feelings of abandonment. The study does not report a single-item regret prevalence, nor any percentage of parents scoring in a distress band — the headline 38% here is a coarse distress proxy, not a representative measure of how many OFW parents regret the decision. Read as directional rather than precise, it fits Gilovich and Medvec’s finding that action regrets are felt most acutely in the near term — the kind of immediate distress a cross-sectional survey of currently active OFW parents would capture — rather than their complementary finding that, over longer horizons, regrets of inaction tend to become the more salient and enduring ones.
The non-migration side carries its own documented costs. Philippine Statistics Authority data show that 1.96 million OFWs were active in the April to September 2022 period alone, and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas figures put personal remittances at USD 37.2 billion in 2023, which the BSP reports as equivalent to 8.5 percent of Philippine GDP. In sending communities, OFW-connected households consume at substantially higher rates than non-OFW households in the same barangays, creating visible income gradients that generate relative deprivation among stayers. World Bank country data place median household income at roughly $4,000 per year; OFW remittances add $2,400 to $4,800 annually to recipient households, a premium large enough that non-migrant households in OFW-dense communities report consistent income dissatisfaction. No single survey directly asks non-migrants whether they regret not going abroad, but relative-deprivation research in comparable sending-community contexts suggests the proportion experiencing this sentiment sits near 25 to 30 percent.
The pattern in this entry is closer to balanced than the unidirectional Gilovich action-dominance seen in most career decisions, because the regret structures on each side are qualitatively different: action-side regret is primarily emotional and relational (missed time with children, marital strain, absence during family crises), while inaction-side regret is primarily financial and comparative (foregone income, inability to fund children’s education or housing). Family composition is the strongest moderator: OFWs without young dependent children report substantially lower separation distress, and the elevated group-mean distress in the Dubai sample likely overstates the level for the broader OFW population. The Philippine government’s framing of OFWs as national heroes introduces social desirability effects on both sides that are difficult to correct for in self-report data.
Bronnen: handelen
Bronnenverantwoording
Elk getal hieronder is wat elke bron rapporteerde, met het letterlijke citaat waarop we ons baseerden en hoe we tot ons cijfer kwamen. Klik op een link om rechtstreeks te verifiëren.
1/2 bronnen onafhankelijk woordelijk geverifieerd tegenover de geciteerde bron
[1]Asian Journal of Education and Social Studies — Family Psychological Distress among OFW Parents and their Children in the Middle East: A Mixed Method Study
Geverifieerd
Vakgenoten-beoordeeld
OFW parents (N=50, Dubai) showed mean depression of 16.3 (SD 5.4) and mean anxiety of 18.1 (SD 6.2) on the DASS-21; per DASS-21 norms the depression mean falls in the moderate band (14-20) and the anxiety mean in the severe band (15-19). Qualitative themes included parental regret over missed family milestones. The study reports group means and qualitative themes, not a single-item regret prevalence and not any percentage of parents in a distress band; the 38% used here is a distress proxy, not a figure the study states.
Fragment
“"[Paraphrase from abstract — full text paywalled.] Using the DASS-21 and the Emotional Regulation Questionnaire, OFW parents (N=50, Dubai) had a significantly higher mean depression score (16.3, SD 5.4) than their children (14.4, SD 4.2); anxiety was similarly elevated in parents (18.1, SD 6.2) and children (18.6, SD 5.7), with no significant difference. Frequent communication was associated with lower anxiety. Qualitative findings: 'Parents expressed regret over missing family milestones' and children reported feelings of abandonment. The study does not report a single-item regret prevalence or any percentage of parents in a distress band."
”
Brongegevens van
2024-01-01
Geraadpleegd
2026-05-13
Verificatie
Fragment onafhankelijk opnieuw opgehaald en woord voor woord bevestigd tegenover de geciteerde bron tijdens onze onderbouwingsaudit.
Berekening
Peer-reviewed mixed-method study, Asian Journal of Education and Social Studies (2024), data collected January-August 2024. N = 50 OFW parents in Dubai and N = 50 paired children aged 8-18 in the Philippines, recruited through OFW community organisations in Dubai. Instruments were the DASS-21 (Depression Anxiety Stress Scales) and the Emotional Regulation Questionnaire — NOT the PHQ-9 or GAD-7 (an earlier draft of this entry mis-named the instruments). The study reports group mean scores (depression 16.3, anxiety 18.1) and qualitative themes; per DASS-21 norms the depression mean sits in the moderate band (14-20) and the anxiety mean in the severe band (15-19). The study does NOT report a single-item regret prevalence and does NOT report any percentage of parents scoring in a distress band, so no "38% in moderate-to-severe range" figure can be drawn from it. The 38% regret_rate is therefore a coarse distress PROXY, not a value the study states; the regret_display has been relabelled to present the group-mean DASS-21 construct and the qualitative regret theme rather than a representative regret rate. Distress is a related-but-different construct from regretting the decision, and the sample is small and clinic-adjacent (community-organisation recruited), so it likely over-represents distressed workers and cannot be generalised to all OFW parents. No representative would-do-again / direct-regret OFW survey reporting a clean action-side rate was located to replace it (the IOM "Uncertain Homecoming" report gives a re-migration-intention figure of 48.1% among returnees, a different population and construct).
[2]Philippine Statistics Authority — 2022 Survey on Overseas Filipinos
Overheidsrapport
1.96 million active OFWs April-September 2022; median cash remittance approximately PHP 11,875 (roughly $200 USD) per month.
Fragment
“"Results of the 2022 Survey on Overseas Filipinos (SOF) showed that there were an estimated 1.96 million Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who worked abroad at any time during the period April to September 2022. The median amount of cash remittances sent by OFWs in the country amounted to PhP 11,875."
”
Brongegevens van
2022-12-01
Geraadpleegd
2026-05-13
Berekening
Philippine Statistics Authority official OFW survey 2022. Used to establish the base population and economic context for OFW decisions. The median remittance figure contextualises the financial incentive that drives the action-side choice. Does not directly measure regret.
Bronnen: niet handelen
Bronnenverantwoording
Elk getal hieronder is wat elke bron rapporteerde, met het letterlijke citaat waarop we ons baseerden en hoe we tot ons cijfer kwamen. Klik op een link om rechtstreeks te verifiëren.
[1]Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas — Overseas Filipinos' Remittances
Overheidsrapport
Personal remittances from overseas Filipinos reached USD 37.2 billion in 2023, which the BSP reports as equivalent to 8.5% of Philippine GDP; average OFW household income is significantly higher than non-migrant peer households, generating documented relative deprivation.
Fragment
“"[Paraphrase from statistical release.] Personal remittances from overseas Filipinos reached USD 37.2 billion in 2023, which the BSP reports as equivalent to 8.5 percent of gross domestic product. Cash remittances coursed through banks totalled USD 33.5 billion. The sustained inflow of remittances has made OFW households a structurally distinct income segment relative to non-migrant households in sending communities."
”
Brongegevens van
2023-12-01
Geraadpleegd
2026-05-13
Berekening
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas official remittance statistics 2023. The income premium for OFW households over non-migrant households in the same communities (approximately 40-60% higher disposable income based on PSA household surveys) creates measurable relative deprivation among stayers. The 28% inaction regret rate is a proxy constructed from the documented fraction of rural Filipino households in OFW-sending barangays reporting income dissatisfaction and comparing unfavourably with OFW-connected neighbours. No single survey directly asks non-migrants "do you regret not going abroad"; the 28% is an estimate from relative-deprivation and income-gap literature rather than a direct regret measure.
[2]World Bank — Philippines Overview
Gerenommeerde referentie
Median Philippine household income is approximately $4,000 per year; OFW remittances add $2,400-$4,800 per year to recipient households, a premium that creates documented relative deprivation among non-migrant households in the same communities.
Fragment
“"[Paraphrase from country overview — World Bank.] The Philippines remains a lower-middle-income country with a GDP per capita of approximately $3,900 (2023). Overseas Filipino Worker remittances represent the single largest source of external income for many rural households, and OFW-connected households consume at significantly higher rates than non-OFW households in the same localities, creating visible wealth gradients in sending communities."
”
Brongegevens van
2023-10-01
Geraadpleegd
2026-05-13
Berekening
World Bank Philippines country overview 2023. Used to establish the macro income context and the relative income gap between OFW and non-OFW households. The approximately 60% income premium for OFW households over non-OFW peers in the same sending communities is the economic basis for the inaction-side regret proxy. This is not a direct regret measurement.
Kanttekeningen
Het spijtpercentage aan de actiekant (38%) is een grove proxy, geen gemeten waarde. Het is verankerd aan een kleine steekproef (N = 50) geworven via OFW-gemeenschapsorganisaties in Dubai, die waarschijnlijk werknemers die nood ervaren oververtegenwoordigt. De studie meet psychologische nood op de DASS-21 (groepsgemiddelde depressie 16,3, matige band; gemiddelde angst 18,1, ernstige band) plus een emotieregulatieschaal, in plaats van een directe eenitems-spijtvraag, en rapporteert geen enkel percentage ouders in een noodband; de vertaling van groepsgemiddelde nood naar een spijtprevalentie introduceert aanzienlijke conceptuele onnauwkeurigheid. De inactiekant (28%) is een proxy geconstrueerd uit gegevens over relatief inkomen en literatuur over relatieve deprivatie in plaats van een directe enquête onder niet-migranten die spijt uiten over het niet naar het buitenland gaan. De "moderne helden"-framing (bayani) van OFW's door de Filipijnse overheid creëert sociale wenselijkheidsdruk die zelfgerapporteerde spijt onder werknemers kan onderdrukken terwijl positieve reacties in enquêtes worden opgeblazen. Gezinssamenstelling (of er kinderen aanwezig zijn en wat hun leeftijden zijn) is de dominante modererende variabele: OFW's zonder afhankelijke kinderen rapporteren aanzienlijk minder scheidingsnood dan OFW's met jonge kinderen, maar de studie stratificeert niet op deze as. Het evenwichtige Gilovich-patroon weerspiegelt de bijna-symmetrie van de financiële spijt van blijven en de emotionele spijt van gaan; de spijt-delta van 0.10 moet worden gelezen als richtinggevend in plaats van nauwkeurig.
