By Yoon Sat - Jul 12, 2024
Due to the shortage of jobs in the country and the conscription laws after the coup d'état, young people are leaving for to works in foreign countries but the military council said that there is no relaxation of the age limit for overseas employment.
"Yes. The number of young people who really want to leave is within a limited age range. In addition, there are many youths who have prepared in advance since before this order was issued, so I am proposing to amend this. I understand that the response is that there is no plan for that currently," said an entrepreneur from an agency that sends workers abroad.
Last May, all male workers between the ages of 23 and 32 were banned from going to work abroad and the agencies sending workers abroad have also been warned not to send the workers in age limited. The foreign employment agencies have proposed to amend the age limit to leave abroad as there are many workers who have prepared to go to work at foreign countries with MoU but the Ministry of Labor of the Military Council has responded that there is no plan to amend.
Last few days, the Military Council and the Myanmar Oversea Employment Agencies Federation (MOEAF) met, and said that it will be mandatory to prevent people from going to foreign countries to work on a PV passport and they will also inspect the agency that sends workers to foreign countries whether 25 percent of the workers they sent are sent back to their families every month.
It is also reported that the military council pressured the agencies to sign the contract before the workers leave by making it compulsory to include in the fact that the workers must transfer 25 percent of the salary to the family through the military council's banks and must pay a 2 percent tax.
As the Military Council restricted all men between the ages of 23 and 32 are not allowed anymore to go to work in foreign countries with a passport for job (PJ). The number of people who wanted to change from Passport for Job (PJ) to Passport for Visit (PV) to go abroad increased and the processes were restricted since June.
Despite such strict rules and restrictions, more people are leaving to work in foreign countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, South Korea and Laos due to the military conscription, political instability, the lack of employment and lack of domestic wage increases.
