The Labor Department said that some 550,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) were displaced by the coronavirus pandemic.

Around 3.8 million Filipinos also lost their jobs this year due to the health crisis.

International Labor Affairs Bureau Director Alice Visperas said in a media briefing on Thursday, as of December 17, some 550,000 OFWs lost their jobs abroad, while an estimated 1.1 million more were unable to resume or start working overseas since January.

“Of this figure, 370,000 of the displaced were repatriated to their home provinces, 126,000 displaced are still waiting for their repatriation, and 82,000 displaced and opted to stay on-site,” she said.

DOLE Assistant Secretary Nikki Tutay on the other hand said that 3.8 million people were severely affected because of the pandemic.

“These are composed of those who were retrenched, permanently displaced, those undergoing flexible work arrangements and those still under temporary closure,” she said.

The labor department said they that displaced OFWs can explore other job markets like Czech Republic, Romania, and Poland.

There are also job opportunities in China for English teachers.

Israel and Japan are looking to hire more Filipino caregivers.