The Ministry of Labor warns that failure to deploy workers abroad by the stipulated deadline will result in consequences.
Foreign employment agencies are obliged to report to the Ministry, undergo orientation, and secure an OWIC card before dispatching workers. Any delays in deployment will prompt action from the Ministry, which will propose a deadline for deployment and enforce measures if deadlines are not met.
Currently, as of the end of May, there are 565 agencies that are officially sending workers abroad, and this number is more than in February.
As of February this year, there are 547 foreign employment agencies authorized by the Ministry of Labor in Myanmar. However, within this pool of 565 agencies, some have faced temporary license suspensions by the Ministry of Labor.
There are seven agencies whose foreign employment agency licenses have been temporarily suspended, including one agency whose license has been temporarily suspended for a maximum of three years.
Other agencies whose licenses have been temporarily suspended include agencies that have been shut down for six months to two years, according to the Ministry of Labor.
From April last year to the end of February this year, 167,926 workers were sent to foreign countries by 440 officially licensed foreign employment agencies, according to data from the Ministry of Labor.
Before 2021, the number of licensed foreign employment agencies stood at just over 300. However, in the last three years, this figure has surged to over 500, as per the Ministry's data.
Workers are being dispatched to various countries including Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, Korea, and Turkey. According to Ministry of Labor data, around 15,000 workers were deployed on average in the last eight months of the previous year. Yet, in January and February of this year, approximately 19,000 individuals found employment overseas.
Notably, the Ministry suspended the submission of demand letters for male workers on May 1, only to reopen it on May 7 with an age limit for submissions. The majority of licensed agencies are known to send workers to Thailand, as well as other destinations like Singapore and Malaysia.
