The overseas employment program was formally launched in 1974 as a stop-gap strategy to address high unemployment, tight balance of payments, and slow development in the Philippines. By the 1990s, overseas employment was viewed as a legitimate socio-economic option for Filipinos and laws were passed to better manage labor migration and protect migrant worker welfare. Currently, Filipino overseas workers can be found in over 197 countries and 50,000 vessels, with annual deployment reaching over 1.7 million from 2006 to 2014. The majority of new hires are in service occupations like household service and nursing.