Many Filipinos dream of working overseas to seek a greener pasture. They are willing to take the challenge of working in an unfamiliar country and endure years of being separated from their loved ones for years.

One may therefore assume that the decision to accept an overseas job is most of the time worth it, that the workers would finally find the job security and satisfaction they are looking for. Sadly, an informal survey conducted by site visitors of WorkAbroad.ph and OFWGuide.com showed that many Filipinos working abroad are still dissatisfied with their current employment status.

In the survey question, “Are You Happy or Satisfied with Your Current Work Abroad,” 68% of the respondents answered “No” which shows that only 32% of them are happy or satisfied with their current overseas post. The said survey was conducted from November 10, 2012 to January 25, 2013.  It also appeared in the Facebook page of WorkAbroad.ph.

When asked of the reasons why they are generally unhappy with their current work, majority (49%) said that it is because of low salary and poor employee benefits. It is followed by the fact that their employers are mean and unfair and do not recognize their hard work (35%). Other responses cite their work challenges as boring (14%) and the remaining 2% do not get along with their co-workers.

From the responses above, the answer to the question, “What do you think are the factors that should be present to ensure an employee's job satisfaction” is easy to predict. Majority (72%) cited great compensation package as the most important factor. This is closely followed by work environment that allows for work-life balance, fair company policies and an environment that fosters employee development.

In the Facebook page discussion, the number of satisfied OFWs is almost equal with that of the unsatisfied ones and most of the reasons cited for job contentment are fair superiors, attractive salary and good benefits. Those who are unhappy with their current overseas post said that they find their employers unfair and their salary too low.

Do you agree with the result of this survey? Share your opinions by leaving a comment below.

This informal survey was conducted among site visitors of OFWGuide.com and WorkAbroad.ph from November 10, 2012 to January 25, 2013.