doing business in myanmar – what you need to know as a singaporean
The number of Myanmar workers migrating to Thailand with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in hand hit a record high of 16,988 in late January.
An official at the Friendship Bridge said the number of workers leaving with an MoU “has hit a record high as more than 500 workers migrate to Thailand every day.”
Last year saw a decline in the number of workers leaving for Thailand with an MoU, he noted.
“This shows that in the time of the democratic government, factories and workshops cannot create new jobs for citizens and the authority is unable to fix a fair salary rate like those in neighbouring countries.”
Last year, August saw the highest migration rate at 16,560 workers.
Myanmar’s daily minimum wage rate is 4,800 kyat while Thailand set the equivalent rate at around 13,000 kyat (315 Thai baht).
The country is expected to continue losing human resources as youths are the key demographic migrating to Thailand.
And they are leaving despite knowing that the jobs waiting for them in Thailand are often unpleasant.
“Migrant workers have to do hard works and 3D work -– dangerous, difficult and dirty,” said Moe Gyo, chair of the Joint Action Committee for Burma Affairs (JACBA).
“The country will continue losing human resources as long as the country doesn’t see development of factories, and workers don’t get fair wages.”
Most of migrants are youths aged between 20 and 30. They find it difficult to survive on Myanmar’s low salaries due to rising commodity prices.
Source: Eleven Myanmar
To see the original article click link here
