The number of Filipinos working in Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) will increase even more between 2020 and 2022.
This was revealed by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), one of the many agencies invited to the hearing of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means on the economic cost and benefit of the POGO operation in the country.
According to data shared by BIR Director Sixto Dy Jr., in 2022, there are 16,736 Filipino workers working in licensed POGO. This is higher than the 15,745 recorded in 2021 and 13,991 in 2020.
In contrast, the number of foreign POGO workers decreased to 14,838 in 2021 from 28,394 in 2020 before rising to 17,509 in 2022.
In the percentage of POGO workers, in 2022, Filipinos working in the industry reached 48.87 percent, 51.58 percent in 2021, and 32.98 percent in 2020.
In the position paper sent by the BIR to the Senate, Dy said that “data provided by the Bureau of Local Employment shows that there has been a gradual increase of Filipino workers as against foreign nationals employed in the POGO industry.”
Number of Pinoy workers in POGO increased – BIR
Under Republic Act 11590 or POGO law, all foreign POGOs must register with the BIR, obtain a tax identification number (TIN) and pay the final withholding tax (FWT) of 25% of their gross income.
The FWT per individual, based on what is stated in the law, must not be less than P12,500 and must be remitted monthly.
Meanwhile, employment rate in August 2022 was estimated at 94.7 percent. This was higher than the recorded employment rate in the same period last year, which was estimated at 91.9 percent, but was slightly lower than the 94.8 percent estimate in July 2022. In terms of magnitude, the number of employed persons was estimated at 47.87 million while it was at 44.23 million for the same period last year. In July 2022, the number of employed persons was 47.39 million.
The labor force participation rate (LFPR) in August 2022 was estimated at 66.1 percent, the highest reported rate since January of this year. The second and third highest were in March 2022 and July 2022 with 65.4 percent and 65.2 percent, respectively. LFPR in August 2021 was registered at 63.6 percent.
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