MANILA — A large majority of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who returned to the Philippines due to tensions in the Middle East still intend to work abroad again, according to Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac.

In an interview on Super Radyo dzBB, Cacdac said that 84% of repatriated workers expressed willingness to seek overseas employment based on entry survey data collected upon their arrival.

“Batay doon sa entry survey… 84% of them are still hoping for overseas employment. Of that figure, mayroon around 50%, 50-50, ‘yung puwede pang bumalik sa pinanggalingan,” he said.

(Based on the entry survey… 84% of them are still hoping for overseas employment. Of that figure, around 50%, 50-50, can still return to where they came from.)

He added that returning workers with valid employment visas may be assisted in going back to their previous jobs.

“Sila ay bibigyan ng puwang na… pagkakataon na makabalik through facilitated ‘yung clearances nila pabalik dahil kasi may valid employment visas pa sila pabalik ng bansa,” he said.

(They will be given the opportunity to return through facilitated processing of their clearances because they still have valid employment visas to return to the country where they worked.)

For those seeking new opportunities, Cacdac said around 200,000 job orders are available across Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas, aligned with the workers’ skill sets.

“Nakaabang ‘yan. Alam natin ‘yung skills nila kasi may survey form nga… ng skill sets ng mga nanunumbalik so naghanap tayo ng job orders na katumbas ng skill sets nila,” he said.

(That is ready. We know their skills because there was a survey form… of the skill sets of those returning, so we looked for job orders that match their skill sets.)

The DMW chief earlier said the government is prioritizing these job placements for Filipinos displaced by the Middle East crisis, with possible job fairs to help them explore options in other countries.

He also noted a decline in OFW deployment, as some workers have withdrawn from overseas employment due to the ongoing tensions.

At present, nearly 4,000 OFWs have returned to the Philippines, with more arrivals expected.

“Approaching 4,000 na tayo. In fact, papunta ako sa airport ngayon. Mayroong manunumbalik na humigit kumulang, 200 higit, mula sa Bahrain at Kuwait,” he said.

(We are approaching 4,000 already. In fact, I am on my way to the airport now. There are returning individuals numbering a little over 200 from Bahrain and Kuwait.)

As of April 3, the DMW reported a total of 4,241 repatriates from the Middle East, including OFWs and Filipinos on visitor visas affected by the escalation of conflict that began on February 28.

Data from GMA News Research showed that more than 2.4 million Filipinos are based in the Middle East as of March 2026, with significant populations in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.