With some 2.4m Filipinos working abroad, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority, it’s no wonder that Australia, with its opportunities, lively cities and amazing landscapes, is a top destination for Filipinos seeking new horizons.
About 10% of OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers) have headed to Australia, and that number has been growing. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics in 2017, the number of overseas-born Filipinos had risen from 171,233 in 2011 to 232,386 in 2016.
But did you know that Filipinos have been living and working in Australia for nearly 150 years? We’ve dug up some amazing facts and figures about the Australian Pinoy community.
Dive in
The first migrant Filipino workers recorded in Australia were divers who worked for the Broome pearling industry, arriving as early as 1872, according to the Aussie Department of Immigration and Citizenship. This diaspora is thought to have been driven by the political conditions under the Spanish occupation of the Philippines.