Welcome to the Palawan Guide!

Palawan is a Philippine island province with one city, Puerto Princesa, and small resort towns such as El Nido and Coron. It suits Filipino hospitality staff, and foreign specialists or senior managers whose employer can get a work permit.

Who hires

Hotels and resorts are the main tourism employers. Palawan had about 2.13 million visitors in 2025, almost half from abroad. The jobs are in Puerto Princesa, El Nido and Coron, which also has dive centres. Outside tourism there are malls and hospitals in Puerto Princesa and nickel mines in the far south. They hire foreigners only for scarce skills.

When hiring happens

The dry season, December to May, is the busy time. Hotel jobs are year-round. Boat tour and dive work slows from June to October, when the monsoon often cancels trips.

Where you live and what it costs

Island resorts usually give shared staff quarters. Town hotels often do not, so ask. The minimum wage in Palawan is PHP 455 a day in 2026 (about USD 7). Crowd-reported prices (2026) put a one-bedroom flat in central Puerto Princesa or El Nido at about PHP 15,000 a month (about USD 240). That is more than a month's minimum wage, so a job without housing is hard to live on. The rent figure rests on few reports. In 2026 a canteen meal costs about PHP 80 to 150 (about USD 1.30 to 2.40) and a tricycle ride in El Nido about PHP 50 to 150 (about USD 0.80 to 2.40).

Daily life

Tagalog is the main language. Work with guests is in English. Most people are Roman Catholic. Six-day weeks are usual. Even a small amount of drugs can mean prison. The main hospitals are in Puerto Princesa. El Nido has basic care only. On days off people go to beaches, dive and take boat tours.

Getting there and around

Puerto Princesa airport has flights from Manila, Cebu and Clark. From abroad you usually change planes in one of them. Since March 2026, flights to El Nido and Coron leave from Clark or Cebu, not Manila. The van from Puerto Princesa to El Nido takes five to six hours and costs about PHP 600 to 900 (about USD 10 to 14). A fast ferry from El Nido to Coron takes about four hours.

What to watch for

• Line jobs do not go to foreigners, and working without a permit leads to arrest and deportation.
• Pay is in pesos and is low.
• The typhoon season is June to November. Storms stop ferries, sometimes for days.
• Read your own government's travel advice for Palawan before you travel.

Never pay anyone for a job offer or a visa.

Before you apply

Below this guide, "Can I work in Palawan?" gives the answer for your passport, and "What the job usually comes with" covers housing, meals, flights and leave.

Can I work in Palawan?

Pick your passport to see your answer.

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Never pay anyone for a visa or a job offer. A real employer pays the permit costs and never asks you for money.

How it works

How it works: Job advertising and an economic needs test since February 2025; specialists only.

Official source: Bureau of Immigration: Pre-arranged Employment Visa (9G). Checked October 2026.

What the job usually comes with in Palawan

Usual for Palawan, varies by employer. Checked October 2026.

Housing	Shared staff quarters at island resorts
Meals	Duty meals
Flights	Senior packages only
Service charge	100% shared equally among rank-and-file staff (by law)
Contract	Probation up to 6 months; permit up to 3 years
Leave	5 days; 13th-month pay (by law)
Income tax	0% to 35%

Senior staff often get more than line staff, for example a single room or a yearly home flight. Ask the employer what the job includes before you accept.