Europe Needs Filipino Workers: A Leverage for the Philippines?

ABSTRACT Compared to the established labour migration corridors between the Philippines and destination countries in Asia and the Gulf region, recent moves by European countries to recruit Filipino workers to meet current and future labour needs invite reflection on what this emerging trend implies for migration knowledge and theorising about migration, particularly the aspect of migration governance. As a relatively new terrain of engagement for both origin and destinations, this paper focuses on how key stakeholders from the Philippines view this growing trend: (1) how do different migration‐related stakeholders in the Philippines see the increasing demand for Filipino workers in Europe; (2) what kinds of engagements are developing between the Philippines and European countries on labour migration issues; and (3) what specific issues pose challenges for migration governance in the Philippines‐Europe labour migration corridor. Data for this paper come from expert interviews with participants from Philippine government institutions ( n = 3), private recruitment agencies ( n = 3), non‐government organisations ( n = 3), and Philippines‐based representatives of European destination countries ( n = 2). The findings add to the growing literature on origin states, open insights on their role in bilateral relations with destination countries, and how origin countries can leverage their resources to reduce power asymmetry vis‐à‐vis destination countries.