Why Filipino Migrants Remit? Evidence from a Home-Host Country Matched Sample

This paper uses a unique matched survey dataset to directly test remittance models using information from both remittance-sending and remittance-receiving households. Our results show that the decision to remit is strongly affected by both home and host country factors with altruism motive as an ubiquitous underlying element. We find that men’s behaviour is mainly influenced by their capacity to remit, not so for women. Further we show that job-to-skill mismatching is widespread among Filipinos overseas and depresses women’s remittances by over fifty per cent. Clearly, the economic and social losses associated with this kind of labour market outcome are significant.