JAKARTA - A Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) discussion paper published on May 25 says aging societies in Singapore, Japan and Australia are increasing demand for Filipina migrant workers in caregiving, domestic and healthcare sectors.
The paper says demographic shifts in the Asia-Pacific have intensified reliance on migrant workers, with Filipina women emerging as a critical labour force in regional global value chains. It also says those workers face precarious jobs, gendered inequalities and limited access to social protection.
The authors frame the issue through global value chains and global care chains. The paper says, “the future of work in aging societies is deeply gendered, transnational, and dependent on care labor mobility.” It says Filipina workers sustain caregiving, healthcare and domestic work in Australia, Japan and Singapore.
The Asia-Pacific aging context is visible in official data. Singapore said citizens aged 65 and above rose from 13.1 percent in 2015 to 20.7 percent in 2025, and are projected to reach 23.9 percent by 2030. Japan’s Cabinet Office said people aged 65 and above accounted for 29.3 percent of Japan’s population as of October 1, 2024.
Australia is also aging, though more slowly than Japan. Australia’s 2024 Population Statement said the share of people aged 65 and above is projected to reach 24.0 percent by 2064-65, up from 17.3 percent, and that this will raise demand for services such as aged care and healthcare.
Department of Migrant Workers data collated by the paper’s authors showed Singapore received the most deployed overseas Filipino workers among the three markets over the period studied, with 195,346. Japan received 49,825, and Australia received 19,779.
The Philippine care pipeline is strongly female. PIDS says Philippine Labor Force Survey and TESDA data from 2023 to 2024 show women make up an overwhelming majority of the country’s care labour force, with female participation in caregiving training programmes above 85 percent.
