According to sources from the Ministry of Labor in Naypyidaw, the military council will impose restrictions on the number of Myanmar workers permitted to work abroad and will soon officially announce country-specific quotas. The announcement will affect major destination countries including Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Japan, Korea, and Russia, where Myanmar workers commonly seek employment. Unlike previous practices, there will no longer be unrestricted deployment, and the processing procedures will become more time-consuming, as stated by the ministry source.
The new Minister of Labor, Chit Swe, appointed by the military council, disclosed plans to implement these restrictions during a meeting with employment agencies on February 15. Additionally, the military council has established initiatives to recall Myanmar citizens from abroad who are eligible for military service. The Naypyidaw Labor Ministry will directly oversee the re-exit permissions for workers who return on leave. This represents a significant shift in the management of overseas worker deployment.
Workers returning on leave who do not possess an Overseas Worker Identification Card (OWIC) must submit a complete application with all required documentation to Naypyidaw. The OWIC, previously issued at the Mayangone office, will now only be issued at the North Dagon office and requires approval from Naypyidaw. Even after obtaining an OWIC, workers must submit additional applications to Naypyidaw for permission to leave the country, with no guaranteed timeline for processing. Notably, individuals of military service age will not be granted permission to return overseas, according to the Labor Ministry’s directive.
These stringent regulations and directives have created significant operational challenges for overseas employment agencies. Agencies specializing in sending skilled workers to Japan particularly face difficulties, as delays in worker deployment could jeopardize their ability to secure Demand Letters. Furthermore, even with obtained Demand Letters, workers cannot be deployed without the Labor Ministry’s approval. Agency owners express concern about the increasingly difficult operating environment and the uncertainty surrounding processing times. The new restrictions have effectively created a situation where many employment agencies find it nearly impossible to continue their normal operations, significantly impacting the overseas employment sector for Myanmar workers.
