Myanmar sends 90 workers to China, plans more batches

Myanmar has sent more than 90 workers to China as a pilot project, and more batches of workers are planned, an official from the Myanmar Overseas Employment Agencies Federation (MOEAF) told The Global New Light of Myanmar (GNLM).
China is a new destination with opportunities mainly for garment workers, he said.
“A new opportunity to go abroad has been created. Agencies send the workers by plane. The first batch included more than 90 by a flight. Companies submitted to send more. We will send more batches as they are convenient. Some companies have already proposed to the department. After personal interviews and some necessary arrangements, more batches will be sent,” he said.
Since China faces a labour shortage due to the growth of industrial zones, it has been recruiting more migrant workers, and it could also recruit workers for manufacturing and construction in addition to its garment sector, he suggested.
“As China is a new destination, people are less interested in it compared to other nations. They are more interested in Malaysia and Thailand, which are normal destinations. There are more opportunities in China. Because China is now mainly focusing on building industrial zones. They are close to the border with Myanmar. So, they give special rights as they need workers in industrial zones. And China’s GDP is high. They prefer to hire foreigners rather than locals. Myanmar is the nearest country, so they recruit Myanmar workers. With free accommodation and food, the salary can compete with Thailand and Malaysia. They go by air after taking K500,000-1,000,000 on credit. It will cost K1 million on this side. The rest will be deducted when they arrive there,” he said.
Licensed agencies try to send workers to China at an affordable cost, but there can be scams by some brokers and migrants are advised to go directly to China through licensed agencies, he said. — MT/ZN/ED