YANGON, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar has launched the second five-year national level framework for international migrant workers management, according to the Ministry of Labor, Immigration and Population on Sunday.
The implementation of the framework is to be carried out with the cooperation of International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Minister of Labor, Immigration and Population U Thein Swe said at the launching ceremony in Yangon on Saturday that Myanmar has laid down policies regarding migrant workers who are being sent for overseas employment under law and most of them are being despatched to Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, South Korea and Middle East countries through 277 overseas employment agencies.
He hoped to give long term support to the workers to get respectable jobs in Southeast Asia.
He spoke of the grand strategy regarding enhancement of migrant workers' act, recruitment of reliable workers, training before departure, legal service and data concerning immigration, improvement of management and collaboration between countries.
According to the ministry, the number of Myanmar migrant workers working overseas has hit 5 million, of whom about 3 million young workers are currently working in Thailand but most of them are low-paid laborers.
Some others have gone to Malaysia, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and other Asian and European Union countries.
Most of Myanmar's marine workers are migrating to work in Thailand's fishing industry, constituting a number of 45,000 being employed in the sector with over 51,000 in fishery products processing factories, an official of the ministry said.
