SIMIC

THE Philippines, one of the world's top suppliers of maritime labour, expects its seafarer deployment recovering to its pre-pandemic level by year-end, said Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople, reports Bloomberg.

The Philippines deployed close to 150,000 seafarers last quarter, putting it on track to reach its 2019 deployment, said Ms Ople. "The road to recovery is very clear. By the end of the year we will be back to pre-pandemic levels."



More than 505,000 Filipino seafarers were deployed in 2019, but the number dropped during the pandemic. In 2022, the Philippines' seafarer deployment had bounced back to nearly 490,000.