The Department of Migrant Workers in Davao Region (DMW-11) has processed 23,879 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) for the “Balik-Manggagawa” (BM or returning workers) program since 2022, an official said Tuesday.

At the start of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s administration in 2022, DMW-11 issued BM OECs to 10,028 OFWs, with another 10,647 processed in 2023.

During the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas forum here, DMW-11 Director Angela Librado-Trinidad said 3,204 BM Overseas Employment Certificates (OECs) were issued to OFWs in the first half of 2024.

“The top job is domestic workers. We have a lot of female workers who are now employed, but the positions that they are in are elementary positions, making them more vulnerable,” Librado said.

BMs are documented workers who go home for vacation or personal emergencies, and then return to their host countries.

Based on 2023 data, Librado reported 4,584 returning employees, with over 70 percent females.

In the first half of 2024, 2,600 OFW returnees, also predominantly females, were documented.

She identified the top five destinations for OFWs as the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Thailand and Qatar.

Apart from household service workers, other in-demand occupations are teachers, cleaners, nurses and factory workers.

For the first half of 2024, the majority of OFWs in the region were from Davao del Sur (6,482), followed by Davao del Norte (2,405), Davao de Oro (986), Davao Oriental (774) and Davao Occidental (161). (PNA)