CNI News

23 Feb 2023

Scarce job opportunities, low wages and economic and political situations since 2021 have increased the number of the workers who go abroad to work.

Although job opportunities can be created at home, workers will continue to go abroad if wages are still low, In Charge Ko Khant Nay Kyi of the Migrant Workers Assistance Centre in Busan, South Korea, told the CNI.

He told the CNI, "Job opportunities alone will not solve the issue and we need to take wages into consideration because people are working to earn more money. They won't work at home if they earn just enough to eat. When wages are as high as Thailand or Singapore, workers will not go abroad to work. As long as they are allowed to choose, they will go abroad to work. Even people in Singapore are going to Japan or the US to work. Similarly, Myanmar people will go to other countries if they get higher wages. It is necessary to raise the wages of workers to encourage them to work at home."

Some entrepreneurs said that jobs are not scarce in Myanmar and the problem is low wages.

Myanmar citizens leaving the country at the airport.

Workers are going abroad because wages are too low and commodity prices are too high, forcing them to try very hard to meet both ends, they added.

Some job applicants ask for high salaries although they don't have necessary skills for their jobs and cause difficulties for employers, Chairman U Zaw Zaw of Shan State (North) Hoteliers Association told the CNI.

He said, "Some workers asked us why their salaries were not raised. The difficulties we have faced at present is that job applicants come to us and ask for MMK 500,000 or 600,000 per month without any skill and experience. They said they would work if we could show them how to do their tasks. However, they changed to another job after working for us for two or three days because there are many job advertisements. If they want higher salaries, they need skills and qualifications and to exert efforts. Then, they will get high salaries."

At present Myanmar workers are mainly leaving for South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, China, Singapore and UAE and some of them are leaving for the West.

A garment factory in Myanmar.

However, passport offices around the country have been closed, Myanmar workers are illegally going to work in neighbouring countries. As a result, the government has lost its revenues, Labour Activist Ko Thar Gyi told the CNI.

He said, "First, the government does not get taxes and loses human resources. As they cannot get passports, they simply went to other countries by contacting agents. It amounts to opening an easier route for workers to work abroad.

Most people leaving Myanmar for work and study and basic workers make up the biggest chunk of them while some of them are leaving for technician jobs, according to labour activists.