There have been 269 factories in Yangon Region that had shut down, closed temporarily or laid off workers since January this year leaving over 65,000 unemployed, said an official from the Yangon Region Ministry of Immigration and Human Resources. 

“We have had a total of 269 factories that shut down, closed temporarily or laid off workers. Individually speaking, 29 factories closed temporarily, 70 shut down, and 170 cut their workforce. The list is from January 1 to mid-December. Most of them are CMP. Consequently, 65,707 workers became jobless. But some of them have found new jobs,” the official said.  

Yangon Region Minister for Immigration and Human Resources Moe Moe Su Kyi said from January 1 to July 31, there were 173 factories in Yangon Region that had shut down, closed temporarily or laid off workers leaving 41,395 unemployed. Of them, 56 factories closed down, she added.

The General Labour Law Inspection Department has dealt with labour benefits such as wage and salary and earned leave in relation to those 173 factories. If complaints arise, township coordination and negotiation teams will handle such cases under the Settlement of Labour Dispute Law enacted in 2012, the minister said.

She said labour cards would be issued to the laid-off workers so they could be prioritized if other factories need new employees.