Manila - Remittances from overseas Filipinos rose 18.17 per cent in the first seven months of the year as more Filipinos found employment abroad, the Philippine central bank said Monday.

The central bank said remittances from January to July reached 9.60 billion dollars, higher than 8.13 billion dollars in the same period last year.

In July alone, remittances from overseas Filipinos rose 24.64 per cent to 1.36 billion dollars from 1.09 billion dollars in the same month last year.

There are estimated to be more than 8 million Filipinos working abroad. The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration said that from January to July this year, an additional 761,836 Filipinos left for jobs abroad, a jump from 594,445 last year.

"This reflected foreign employers' preference for Filipino workers who remain competitive due to their skills and proficiency in the English language," said central bank Governor Amando Tetangco.

Last year, overseas Filipinos remitted a record high of 14.44 billion dollars, helping boost the local economy. (dpa)