The term Global Filipino is now also being used to refer to a Filipino citizen who lives and works abroad. There are more than 10 million overseas Filipinos worldwide, about 11% of the total population of the Philippines. According to estimates by the Central Bank of the Philippines, overseas Filipinos are expected to send back $14.7 billion in remittances to their ancestral homeland in 2007, up from $14 billion in 2006.

The performance of the Philippine economy over recent decades, combined with a widespread knowledge of English, a legacy of the Philippines' position as a former United States colony, have made Filipinos one of the most internationally mobile nationalities. Filipino workers greatly contribute to this, as they need to support their family back at home. As a result, many countries around the world have a substantial Filipino community.

Each year, the Philippines sends out more than a million of its nationals to work abroad through its overseas employment program. Others leave to become permanent residents of their country of destination. Overseas Filipinos are typically known to be as nurses, physical therapists, doctors, accountants, IT professionals, engineers, entertainers, teachers, military servicemen, students, bar girls, domestic helpers, housekeepers and caregivers.

American schools have also considered the highly calibrated Filipino teachers and instructors. More US states have been looking to the Philippines to recruit and fill in the need of their respective schools, particularly North Carolina, Kansas, and Virginia.

Many of the newer generations of Filipino Americans born in the United States gravitate towards architecture, business administration, economics, education, engineering, medicine and nursing.