Doing Things Right: The Lived Experience of Overseas Filipino Workers Having Brain Drain

Abstract

Brain drain is a common concern that continues to emerge over the years, particularly in countries with a high emigration rate, such as the Philippines. As this study attempts to capture the lived experiences of the OFWs who experienced brain drain, it also underscores the importance of understanding the life of the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW's). This research study follows a phenomenological research design, which digs deep in the lived experiences of the OFW's as relayed through the articulations and musings of the respondents. The data were gathered through a semi-structured interview following the emic-to etic transcription saturated through cool and warm analysis in order to discover the emerging themes. Member checking procedure was utilized to ensure the trustworthiness of the data. Outcomes have emerged three demands of OFWs, namely, self-demand, family demand, and industry demand. Such resulting demands of job mismatch manifest that brain drain is an inevitable occurrence for OFWs, wherein they are left with no choice but to accept the jobs that are easily acquired or available in the industry for the sake of having stable financial support for themselves and for their families.