The Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population considers sending fishery workers to South Korea.
The discussions between the ministry and foreign employment agencies started since February and the basic salary will be around US$1,000 per month, according to the ministry.
Application forms for the EPS-TOPIK exam had been sold from March 20 to 24 for $24 at the Labour Department in North Dagon Township, Yangon.
The South Korean government needs 4,100 workers from Myanmar, a sharp rise compared to the 3,000 recruited in previous years, for commodity production, construction and farming. The applicants for production and construction jobs must be strong, healthy and abide by the employment contracts, the ministry said.
Myo Aung, the permanent secretary of the ministry, attributed the people’s enthusiasm for South Korean careers to high-paying jobs that did not require any professional skills.
He added: “A successful applicant can expect at least Ks 1.5 million ($1,100) a month working in South Korea. The costs of going there do not exceed $700. So it’s not surprising that a lot of people are eager to work in Korea.”
In contrast, migrant workers in Thailand supposedly make around $300 a month.
The jobs will be given on a point-based system and so not everyone who passes the Korean-language proficiency tests will get a job.
The Myanmar and South Korean governments held negotiations for migrant workers in 2016.
Workers running away from the jobs and overstaying their visas can damage the bilateral agreement, the Labour Department warned.
Between January and November 2016, the country sent over 97,000 workers to Thailand, 31,000 to Malaysia, 2,200 to Japan and 635 to Singapore.
Source: Eleven Myanmar
