In this fourth edition of our ‘Getting to know you’ series, we look at the fourth largest source country for permanent migrants – the Filipino Migrant – and share some things you might not know about this audience.
How many?
According to figures from the Department of Home Affairs, some 12,180 Filipino people made Australia their new home in 2016-17, bringing the Filipino population here to close to a quarter million people.
Australia is a particularly popular destination for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), with about 10% of OFWs typically choosing Australia for their new home – and that number has been growing over the years.
According to Austrade, the Philippines is one of the fastest growing student markets in Australia, with significant and uninterrupted growth since 2014.
What demographics define this audience?
Interestingly, female Filipino migration in Australia outnumbers males (at around 61% female and 39% male) – a phenomenon which demographers often attribute to intercultural marriages.
In terms of age, nearly 60% of this audience is aged between 30 and 59 years, with the median age at 38 years. The majority (40%) are employed and work full-time and 55% are married (24% never married). The majority of those with an income earn between $52k and $65k annually.
Where are they?
New South Wales leads as destination of choice for Filipino migrants, with just over half of the Philippines-born population residing here. This is followed by just over a fifth in Victoria, 14.9% in Queensland and 5.2% in Western Australia (Census 2016).
The top six suburbs – all close to each other geographically in Sydney’s west – are Blacktown, Rooty Hill, Mount Druitt, Quakers Hill, Plumpton and Woodcroft.
Caroline Springs and Tarneit, west of Melbourne follow at 7th and 8th position, with Doonside and St Albans rounding out the top 10.
What psychographics define this audience?
– English is widely and fluently spoken, along with Tagalog.
– They are status conscious –hard-working and driven to succeed.
– They are patriotic and religious (largely Christian).
– They are family and relationship oriented – A core concept that explains Filipinos’ interpersonal behaviour is kapwa, or ‘fellowship’. This is a kind of shared identity that binds the self to others.
– They are culturally rooted – celebrate and thrive on community events including Philippines Independence Day, Easter and Christmas, Filipino National Day
– They love their own entertainment – especially music and singing
Some of the more popular Filipino-oriented cultural events around the country include Filipino Barrio Fiesta Brisbane, the Philippines- Australia Autumn Festival, Philippine Festival in Melbourne and Brisbane and the Grand Philippine Fiesta Kultura among many others.
How can I target the Filipino community with my next marketing campaign?
With such a concentrated population in Sydney’s west, geo-targeting and local area marketing opportunities are the obvious low hanging fruit.
Public relations, relationship-building and media advertising are also highly effective.
Filipino media in Australia is a great way to communicate with the community – there are a handful of important publications, community radio stations with Filipino programming, some impactful online portals and other media which are generally in English and/ or Tagalog.
Want to know more about marketing targeting Filipino migrants in Australia? Contact MultiConnexions today for more information and to learn more.
Enjoyed reading this article? Check out our previous “Getting to know you” blogs in this series:
Edition 3: Migrant Small Business Owners
Edition 2: The Chinese Millennial
Edition 1: The Indian Millennial
Image header source: Philihappy