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Sunday, June 15, 2025 Vol. 20 No. 245
P25.00 nationwide | 2 sections 12 pages | 7 DAYS A WEEK
By John Eiron R. Francisco
‘Weakening’ proficiency in English puts Filipino jobs and the economy at risk, says an academic expert.
HE Philippines could forfeit billions in overseas remittances and global job placements if the English proficiency of its youth continues to decline, a British Council official has warned.
“If we don’t act now, we risk losing access to global education and jobs—not just for individuals, but for our economy as a whole.” —Danica Tuliao, British Council
Economic risks: Remittances at stake
RECENT data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showed that personal remittances from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) rose by 2.6 percent to $3.02 billion in February 2025, up from $2.95 billion in the same month last year. Cumulative remittances for the first two months of 2025 reached $6.27 billion, reflecting a 2.7-percent year-on-year increase. Cash remittances coursed through banks also grew by 2.7 percent in February to $2.72 billion, bringing the year-to-date total to $5.63 billion—up 2.8 percent from the $5.48 billion recorded in the same period in 2024. The increase was largely driven by inflows from the United States, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates. The upward trajectory in remittance figures is backed by a growing overseas workforce. The number of OFWs rose by 9.8 percent to 2.16 million between April and September 2023, based on data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). Of this, 98.1 percent were contract-based workers, while the remaining 1.9 percent were other types of OFWs working abroad without formal employment contracts. These include individuals employed full time while holding nonwork visas such as tourist, visitor, student, or medical visas.
IELTS demand high, but writing still weak
ONE measure of English skills is the IELTS (International English Language Testing System), administered by the British Council. Taken by over 4 million people each year and accepted by more than 12,500 institutions across 140 countries, IELTS remains a benchmark for migration, education, and employment. According to Tuliao, the UK, the US, Canada, and Australia remain the top destination countries for Filipino IELTS test takers. These countries continue to appeal not only because of job opportunities but also for their education systems and high quality of life. Many test takers intend to migrate permanently, while others seek international degrees or professional licenses, particularly in sectors such as healthcare, engineering, and education. She added that demand is
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Studies show that while English remains a national strength— spoken by an estimated 92 percent of Filipinos—recent data suggests a downward trend among those aged 18 to 20, according to Danica Tuliao, Cluster Marketing Manager for Exams, Southeast Asia, at the British Council. According to a 2023 Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey, 47 percent of Filipino adults are considered “competent” in English, with 80 percent able to understand spoken and written English, 69 percent able to write it, and 55 percent able to speak it. English usage has reached its highest levels since 2000, but concerns remain about younger cohorts’ mastery of the language. The Philippines’ performance in the EF English Proficiency Index (EPI) underscores the trend. From a high of 13th globally in 2016, the country dropped to 27th in 2020 before slightly recovering to 20th in the 2024 rankings. Although the country retained its secondplace rank in Asia, Tuliao emphasized, in an email interview with the BusinessMirror, that the decline in younger Filipinos’ skills poses a threat to the country’s global competitiveness. “Many countries like the UK, USA, Canada, and Australia are eager to hire Filipinos, particularly in healthcare, due to the recognition of their generally high English language skills,” Tuliao said. “But with an increasingly competitive global labor market, workers and students from other non-English-speaking countries are catching up.” She noted that the UK has started tapping alternative talent pools such as South Africa due to rising language standards elsewhere. This, she warned, underscores the need for Filipino workers and students to upskill and maintain their competitive edge. “This means that being Filipino is no longer enough,” she said. “As visa and immigration requirements become stricter across countries, proficiency in English has become less of a soft skill and more of a strategic necessity.” A study titled, “English Language Proficiency in the Philippines: An Overview,” identified key reasons behind the decline, including waning motivation, outdated teaching strategies, limited parental involvement, and socioeconomic barriers that hinder early exposure to the language. The report emphasized the importance of consistent English usage, modernized teaching strategies, and grammar-focused instruction—alongside continued promotion of local languages—to reverse the decline. Without immediate intervention, Tuliao said, the country risks losing access to critical international education and employment opportunities—affecting not only individual families, but also longterm economic growth.
growing for skilled migrants in countries like New Zealand, and that some Filipinos are increasingly exploring study opportunities in Asian nations such as China, Singapore, and Malaysia. Tuliao acknowledged that while Filipino test takers generally perform well, the IELTS Writing section remains a consistent challenge. From 2023 to 2024, Filipinos posted an average overall IELTS Academic score of 6.8—second in Asia after Malaysia. However, the average Writing score was just 6.3, only a modest improvement from 6.2 the year prior, and slightly behind Malaysia’s 6.4. “These scores are evaluated based on specific IELTS criteria and don’t necessarily reflect a broader decline in language ability,” she explained. “IELTS has no pass or fail marks, but countries that accept the test set their own
required band scores, which affect how these results are interpreted.”
‘Proficiency beyond fluency’
ASKED what true English proficiency looks like in today’s global economy—especially in highstakes industries like healthcare, tech, and education—Tuliao explained that the definition is evolving beyond traditional fluency. Citing insights from the British Council’s Future of English project, she said employers are increasingly valuing “context-based competency,” where effective communication matters more than native-speaker standards. This shift, discussed in a regional roundtable involving Southeast Asian countries including the Philippines, recognizes the need to use English practically in real-world, multilingual environments. Continued on A2
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PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 55.8550 n JAPAN 0.3893 n UK 76.0857 n HK 7.1162 n CHINA 7.7885 n SINGAPORE 43.6879 n AUSTRALIA 36.4733 n EU 64.7304 n KOREA 0.0412 n SAUDI ARABIA 14.8891 Source: BSP (June 13, 2025)