Commentary: White-collar workers in the Philippines pay a premium to stay employed
For Filipino urban professionals, earning a living requires paying a premium to stay connected and employable, says Nicasio Pimentel from the University of Antique.
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MANILA: Late at night, when the last buses grind to a halt and the city's neon glow softens into a distant heartbeat, another workday quietly begins.
In a cramped apartment in Quezon City, Marielle, a marketing professional, reopens her laptop after dinner. She signs into a second Slack channel, checks a different company email and balances deadlines for a client across the globe. Her first employer assumes she logged off hours ago. Her second believes she is just starting the day.
This juggling act is no longer unusual. It reflects a deeper economic reality shaping remote work in the Philippines.
DOUBLE-HATTING
For Filipino urban professionals, earning a living requires paying a premium to stay connected and employable. They must absorb costs from rent to mobile data and home broadband.
Power is a large component of the utilities bill. Electricity rates in the Philippines are among the most expensive in Asia because of the country’s privatised energy market and reliance on fossil fuel imports. The Strait of Hormuz crisis threatens to push prices even higher, with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr declaring a state of national energy emergency on Mar 24.
When one pay cheque does not cover the cost of living, double-hatting becomes a necessity. A 2023 Deloitte survey found that 71 per cent of Filipino millennials and 65 per cent of Filipino Gen Zs had taken on additional jobs, largely to supplement their primary income. Additionally, 58 per cent of millennials and 59 per cent of Gen Zs said they lived pay cheque to pay cheque.
The rise of hybrid work has made moonlighting easier for white-collar workers. According to a 2024 PwC survey, 52 per cent of Filipino professionals work in hybrid arrangements while 27 per cent work remotely. Workers can redirect the time and money lost to commuting into additional online roles, while making fuller use of the digital work setup they invest in for their primary jobs.
HUMAN COSTS
While double-hatting may close an income gap, it comes at a cost that is not easily measured in pesos. In March, employed individuals worked an average of 40.7 hours per week, according to the Philippines Statistics Authority. Add a second job and there’s little time left for rest or leisure.
Research shows prolonged working hours take a physical and mental toll. A meta-analysis published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found that working more than 50 hours per week is linked to fatigue, injury and stress, as well as higher risks of heart disease, depression and anxiety.
The strain is unfolding alongside wider economic pressures that have pushed policymakers to rethink work arrangements. In response to the energy crisis, the Philippines has adopted a four-day work week for government employees to reduce energy and commuting costs.
In theory, fewer commuting days mean lower expenses and more flexibility. But it can also lead to compressed schedules and heavier workloads, leaving even less capacity for side jobs. For double-hatters, the extra day becomes an opportunity to take on additional freelance work.
The policy addresses cost pressures, but not the underlying imbalance between income and the rising cost of staying employed.
ADDRESSING COST PRESSURES
The Philippines’ large English-speaking workforce and deep integration into global outsourcing positions it well for the shift to remote work. However, double-hatting will become the norm if wage growth does not keep pace with rising costs of living.
Addressing the cost pressures for Filipino professionals requires targeted steps like employer and government support for remote work expenses and public investment in reliable, affordable broadband.
Employers need to rethink compensation and output-based performance systems, sharing costs through energy stipends, clearer rules on multiple jobs and safeguards on working hours to protect employee health.
The glow of laptop screens across Manila each night suggests workers are already taking matters into their own hands. Staying employed has become a cost workers must pay to survive.
Nicasio A Pimentel III is a UK-certified human resources practitioner and teaches at the University of Antique in the Philippines.
