Only 1 in 8 Filipino musicians in Australia play full-time, study finds
A new study examining Filipino musicians in Australia reveals that the vast majority treat their art as a side gig or secondary income stream, despite relying on music to maintain critical cultural ties to their homeland, according to a Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) news release.
The findings were presented by Dr. Carljohnson Anacin during a recent exploratory meeting with the Policy Planning and Research Division of CFO.
Anacin’s research, titled “Transnational Labour Migration and Musical Performance: Filipino Musicians in Australia,” surveyed approximately 40 Filipino musician participants living across Australia as permanent residents, students, visitors, and temporary workers, revealed that only five worked as full-time musicians.
Most migrated primarily for broader economic and livelihood opportunities, turning to music as a supplementary income source, personal hobby, and tool for cultural connection.
To contextualize the findings, Anacin detailed the Australia’s support mechanisms and grant programs that enable artists to develop their craft.
Meeting participants noted that while the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) provides grants for Filipino cultural workers, examining Australia’s practices could offer valuable insights to complement Philippine initiatives rather than replicate them.
Anacin — a musician, researcher, and multicultural community radio broadcaster in Australia who pursued his studies at Griffith University in Queensland — will present his findings on October 14 at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City.
During the meeting, CFO officials discussed potential policy and educational collaborations with Anacin, including integrating his research-based insights into policy development for non-resident Filipinos (NRFs) and featuring his expertise in future “CFO Migration Talks.”
The initiative aligns directly with the core mandate, mission, and role of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas which is tasked with promoting the rights, welfare, and interests of non-resident Filipinos abroad.
By facilitating policy development, diaspora engagement, and cultural preservation programs, the CFO works to strengthen social and economic ties between global Filipino communities and the Philippines.
CFO, established under Batas Pambansa 79, is dedicated to the welfare and empowerment of Filipinos permanently residing abroad. It is distinct from the Department of Migrant Workers, which primarily addresses the needs of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) and other temporary migrants.
The CFO, which is an agency under the Office of the President, works to strengthen the political, economic, and cultural ties of global Filipinos with their home country. Its primary stakeholders include Filipino permanent migrants, dual citizens, spouses and partners of foreign nationals, participants of the US Exchange Visitor Program, participants of Au Pair Program for Europe, and Filipino descendants overseas.
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