PAGO PAGO, American Samoa — The government of American Samoa is starting to look for employment opportunities for its residents outside of the U.S. territory.

Gov. Togiola Tulafono says Human Resources Department Director Evelyn Vaitautolu Langford has already traveled to Guam and to Hawaii to discuss the issue.

Tulafono says the idea for the program arose when it was learned of the many jobs opportunities opening up on Guam due to the planned U.S. military build up on the island.

Tulafono says he asked Langford to look into the possibility of establishing an accommodations center on Guam to house American Samoa workers.

The search for jobs comes as 800 tuna cannery workers in American Samoa are about to be laid off.