By Hanthar Hein - May 02, 2025
Overseas employment agencies are preparing to formally raise concerns with the Ministry of Labour regarding delays and restrictions in the overseas worker deployment process, which have been causing significant challenges, according to the Myanmar Overseas Employment Agencies Association (MOEAA).
To address these issues, MOEAA organized an emergency meeting with licensed agencies on April 30 to gather input and coordinate a joint response.
“A variety of complications have delayed the worker deployment process. These delays are affecting both agencies and the workers themselves, leading to potential losses. That’s why we held an emergency meeting to discuss and coordinate. The outcomes will be swiftly submitted to the Ministry of Labour,” said an MOEAA official.
Following recent policy changes in the deployment process, male workers seeking overseas jobs are facing difficulties due to age restriction adjustments, OWIC card processing delays, and limited access to required training programs. These have led to losses and difficulties for both agencies and workers.
“There’s been a change in the Minister, and policy adjustments followed. We submit documents for OWIC card processing, but there’s no response. We might get an email for tax-related matters, but nothing regarding deployment . Previously, the age limit for male workers was 23 to 31, and that wasn’t officially announced. Now it’s changed to 18 to 35, but still not officially confirmed—so applications are being rejected. That’s why we’re compiling these issues through MOEAA to submit them collectively,” explained a representative from one licensed agency.
As of now, there are 634 licensed overseas employment agencies in Myanmar. According to MOEAA, agencies are still in the process of deploying over 10,000 workers, including more than 3,000 each to Thailand and Japan, as well as to other countries.
