Salary Guide for OFWs in Canada

Filipino professionals are leaving the country in hordes. Why? In search of greener pastures, of course. So many Filipinos leave the country in order to work in the US, the UK and in Europe. There, they earn much more that what they normally would in the Philippines. Hourly wages for a health professional in other countries is a far cry from the measly salaries earned by those here.

Sometimes, what professionals in the Philippines earn on a daily basis is achieved abroad in an hour or two. That’s why more and more people are migrating, more and more of them choose to become OFWs than remain in the country.

Aside from those countries mentioned, there is another one that’s growing in popularity among OFWs – and that country is Canada. The northern country is already home to a lot of OFWs and their numbers are growing each year. How much are these OFWs earning? Is it really better than what they earned here in the Philippines? It must be or they wouldn’t have become OFWs.

Canada is known to have a lower salary rate compared to the UK and the US. But, the country also has a very low cost of living. An apartment that would normally cost 3K USD (140K PHP) to rent in Chicago may only be worth half that in Alberta, Canada.

OFW Salary Guide

Here is a quick salary guide for OFWs who are working in Canada. These are monthly rates. Wages may differ slightly from province to province, but they are usually offset by the cost of living. The wages listed below are based on www.living-canada.com’s  Canadian Salary Survey for 2009. The rates are in Canadian Dollars.

As of May 2009, 1 CAD is equal to 40 PHP or 0.86 USD

The above rates are the average salaries of full time workers based on gender. The average salary of all employees has had an increase of around 9% from the rates in 2008. A Canadian employee’s average hourly rate of C$23.59 converts to around PHP960. The rates also differ from job to job.

The above rates are the average hourly salary of workers in Canada as of the 2009 survey. Average salaries may differ from region to region by as much as 10 to 20%. Rates also vary depending on the employee’s level of expertise and on the employer.

Below is list of the average salaries in Canada as of a 2007 Salary Survey. Being average rate estimates, the rates can differ by as much as 10-20% on both sides depending on several factors such as location and experience.

The Future of OFWs in Canada

OFWs can expect a good career future in Canada. The country is constantly looking to improver their workforce by hiring skilled foreign workers – that includes Filipinos. The best thing about is that OFWs get what native Canadian workers get. OFWs who are moving to the country will also benefit from Canada’s famed healthcare system.

OFWs also have the option of bringing their spouses and kids with them when they move to Canada. This, however, depends on the work agreements that the employee signed.