Kiribati and Tuvalu suffer from seafarer job losses

[Stacey King]

ABC Radio Australia News Jemima Garrett Last Updated: 14 hours 48 minutes ago

Kiribati and Tuvalu have been hit hard by job losses among their international seafarers.

The latest evidence collected by the United Nations Development Program suggests 20 per cent of seafarers from Kiribati and Tuvalu have lost their jobs.

David Abbot from the UNDP says the loss of revenue from seafaring is having flow-on effects for retail outlets and government tax collection and slowing the economies of the 2 countries.

Kiribati's Catholic Bishop, Paul Mea, says the job losses are having a big impact on families, with some no longer being able to afford to send their children to school.

In Tuvalu, there are concerns about poor nutrition among the children of unemployed seafarers.