By Hanthar Hein - Apr 22, 2025
According to licensed employment agencies, men aged between 18 and 35, even those with signed employment contracts with employers in front of Ministry of Labour officials, are reportedly not being granted permission to leave the country for overseas work.
The age restriction for male overseas workers was limited to 23–31 years previously. However, the restriction was extended to cover men aged 18 to 35, further limiting their ability to seek employment abroad starting from January 30, 2025.
It is now reported that even those with valid contracts within the 18 to 35 age range are being denied permission to leave although the Ministry of Labour had previously pledged that male workers with contracts signed before January 30 would still be allowed to depart.
“One of the agencies said that training sessions and OWIC offices had already been suspended for a while due to earthquake damage, and overseas deployments had been halted for a long time. We requested permission to print OWIC cards and proceed with deployment early April, right before Thingyan. However, the Ministry excluded men aged 18 to 35 from the approved list. When asked why, the ministry said it was due to the age restriction policy. Initially, they said that those with contracts signed before January 30 would be allowed. But now they’ve excluded them from the final list. So, both agencies and workers are bearing the loss,” said a representative from a licensed agency.
This additional restriction on men aged 18 to 35 with signed EC contracts has not been formally announced by the Ministry of Labour, causing anxiety among some workers who are hoping to receive permission to depart.
“We’ve heard that even those with contracts aged between 18 and 35 aren’t allowed to leave. But our agency hasn’t said anything officially. It’s hard to inquire during the Thingyan holidays. If it’s truly restricted, the ministry should clearly announce it, so that we can try to get refunds or arrange something. Right now, workers have already spent money and are left worried and uncertain,” said a 22-year-old male worker who signed an EC contract for overseas employment.
According to the Myanmar Overseas Employment Agencies Association (MOEAA), the association has formally requested the Ministry of Labour, on behalf of licensed agencies and workers, to allow departure for all workers with valid contracts and to ease some of the deployment restrictions. However, it is still unknown whether any of these requests have been accepted.
Some licensed agencies reportedly turned to illegal backdoor channels to send workers abroad after the military council’s Ministry of Labour began implementing restrictions and suspensions on licensed agencies and overseas-bound workers.
