Nathalie Mago's work day begins after she's tucked her three daughters into bed and flicked off the lights in their house north of the Philippine capital Manila.

As her young family sleeps, she fires up her laptop and begins discussing the day's agenda with her boss -- an American half a world away.

A "virtual assistant", Mago is one of a growing number of Filipinos flocking to the booming but unregulated sector in the face of a tight job market, low wages and frequently hellish commutes.

"It literally saved me," Mago told AFP. "I was able to support myself and my family at the same time."

A former office worker, the 32-year-old said she's now earning five times as much serving as the "right hand" of employers for whom she writes copy, manages social media and even buys family birthday gifts.

Government figures for the sector are unavailable as the role falls into no recognised job category, meaning legal protections are also effectively non-existent.

But Derek Gallimore, of advisory firm Outsource Accelerator, estimates the number of Filipino virtual assistants at around a million -- a number he expects to grow.

"It's the assumption that they can call their own shots, have more........

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