Manila - Remittances from overseas Filipinos rose a mere 0.1 per cent in January as the global economic crisis plunged many countries into recession, the government said Monday.

Central bank governor Amando Tetangco said remittances in January reached 1.265 billion dollars, barely higher than 1.264 billion dollars sent home in the same month last year.

"The slowdown in deployment beginning in November 2008 and the reported displacement of some land-based workers in some countries due to the global economic downturn contributed to the very modest increase in remittances," he said.

But Tetangco expressed "some optimism for stability if not a pick up in remittances next month" as deployment of Filipino workers abroad increased in January.

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration said the number of workers who found jobs abroad in January rose 25.3 per cent to 165,737 from 132,285 for the same month last year.

For January 2009, the major sources of dollar remittances were from Filipinos working in the United States, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Singapore, Japan, Britain, Italy and United Arab Emirates.

In 2008, overseas Filipino remittances posted 13.7-per-cent growth totaling 16.42 billion dollars, from 14.44 billion dollars in 2007.

Remittances from overseas Filipinos account for least 10 per cent of the country's gross domestic product. (dpa)