Promoting Inclusive Employment: Gender and Demographic Insights on Flexible Working Arrangements in the Philippine Private Sector
Summary
The study explores how flexible working arrangements (FWAs) are currently implemented across the Philippine private sector, the benefits and challenges experienced by employers and employees, and the policy considerations that could support more equitable and effective access to flexible work, in a manner that remains responsive to business and operational requirements.
The Philippines has made measurable progress on gender equality. However, women’s labour force participation remains significantly lower than men’s, at 53.4% compared with 74.6%. [1] This gap persists despite women’s generally higher educational attainment and is linked to women’s disproportionate share of unpaid domestic and care responsibilities. [2] FWAs therefore represent a potentially important mechanism for supporting workforce participation by enabling workers, particularly women, to better manage the practical demands of paid work alongside care responsibilities, while also enabling working men to share these responsibilities more equally.
The findings of the study highlight several patterns in how FWAs are currently perceived, used, and accessed across the Philippine private sector. It also identifies prospective policy directions aimed at expanding meaningful and mutually beneficial access to FWAs and setting minimum implementation standards to support more equitable and sustainable implementation.
The study drew on mixed-methods research involving 766 participants across employers, employees, and prospective employees and applied an intersectional lens to assess how gender, age, care responsibilities, disability, job role, and industry context shape access to and outcomes of FWAs.
This study was led by Isla Lipana & Co. in partnership with Investing in Women and the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev). The full report, supplementary document and accompanying policy briefs were initially published on the DEPDev website.
[1] Philippine Statistics Authority (2025), Labour Force Survey, December 2025
[2] Philippine Statistics Authority (2018), Economically Inactive Persons Due to Household/Family Duties
Highlights
The findings of the study highlight several patterns in how FWAs are currently perceived, used, and accessed across the Philippine private sector. Key findings from both employee and employer perspectives include:
- Common FWA options. Working from home, hybrid working, telecommuting, and flexible hours are the most common FWA options reported across employers and employees, indicating that both organisations and workers are already using some flexible work models, especially those involving work location flexibility.
- Perceived benefits. Employees report that FWAs can improve work-life balance and time efficiency, supporting productivity, job satisfaction, and engagement. Employers similarly recognise that FWAs contribute to employee recruitment, satisfaction, and retention, as well as enhancing productivity. These findings suggest FWAs can support both employee well-being and organisational performance when implemented effectively.
- Relevance to women and specific groups. Employers often identify women as the primary beneficiaries of FWAs, while employees place greater emphasis on single or solo parents, persons with disabilities (PWDs), and employees with care responsibilities. This divergence highlights the importance of aligning FWA policies with actual workforce needs, which are often shaped by caregiving responsibilities, diverse life circumstances, and intersecting identities rather than gender alone.
- Use of FWAs vary across roles and sectors. Access to the different types of FWAs remains uneven across sectors and roles. While hybrid and remote models are more common in knowledge-based industries, employees in frontline, manufacturing, construction, and other onsite-dependent roles report more limited access to remote work arrangements, with flexibility often limited to adjustments in work schedules or workload arrangements rather than location based options. This uneven distribution may raise equity considerations in the implementation of FWAs across the labour market, if not properly governed. Expanding the discussion on FWAs beyond location-based arrangements can help address equity issues.
- Changing expectations among prospective employees. Among prospective employees, particularly those entering the labour market for the first time, FWAs are increasingly viewed as an important employment consideration and an evolving workplace standard. There is a nearly unanimous preference for employers offering flexible arrangements, suggesting that the availability of FWAs may influence employer attractiveness, talent acquisition, and longer-term workforce competitiveness.
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