People would naturally move to another place where there are better employment opportunities, economic opportunities, higher quality of education, better quality of healthcare, and socio-economic development.
True, people moving out to a more developed nation is not something new–it is an old concept to seek a greener pasture but these days, an astronomical figure of people particularly the young generations are deserting their native country. Therefore, the matter of people going abroad has become an issue the government needs to ponder over because the country will suffer from the exodus of people in the long run.
“There will arise the problem of brain drain as well as the big loss of human resource with the result that the country’s labor force will come short of educated, qualified and skilled laborers,” said a veteran journalist to the Popular News.
In the wake of the regime change in early 2021, the people, especially the younger ones, have chosen to move out to another country in he hope of seeking better paid jobs. The number of those leaving the country now accounts for more than two millions, according to a source. Their departure en masse can be attributed to scarce job opportunities inside the country and their feeling of insecurity caused by the political insecurity, instability, and lack of security, said a 50-year-old man from Yangon.
According to the state-owned media, more than 0.5 minion people went abroad in 2022, while nearly one million left Myanmar in 2023. This year, over 0.7 million people have gone abroad as of today.
Among them, the majority have left for Thai, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, and Malaysia, it is learnt. There are also those who have left illegally for Thai and Laos, the neighbours.The illegal migrants may account for tens of thousands, according to a research survey.
To seek confirmation of the statistics by the Ministry of Labour, the
Permanent Secretary was contacted, but he was not available for any comments.
The departure of many people has caused the higher demand of foreign currency, said the Senior General, during his meeting with the chief ministers from certain regions held at the Yangon Government’s Office recently. Despite his remark, there is already a lack of supply in the foreign currency market.
There are news that those who have gone to another country in an illegal way are in big trouble with some arrested, some cheated and some persecuted, said a Myanmar who is providing help to those being faced with trouble in Thailand.
Recently, the government has issued an announcement regarding remittance of 25 per cent of the income, and the people are confused with the rule. The statement says that the list of those who fail to remit the said 25 per cent will be sent to the Ministry of Labour, which will take legal action against the employment agents who have sent the workers that fail to do the remittance. The money remitted will be reimbursed at the exchange rate officially fixed by the Central Bank of Myanmar. People may think that they suffer, but this earning is official, and so, the holders of the official income can have an advantage over others.
Although people are leaving the country en masse, they have difficulty like having a passport, having to spend a higher cost on flight ticket because of depreciation of Myanmar currency against USD and new rules for departure etc.
Additionally, people have to spend a lot on learning languages, taking the examinations and attending job training courses.
Another thing is that all those young people going abroad are not rich kids. Some parents are taking big risks to be able to send their children abroad. Some have to dispose of their own property while some have to borrow money with a high rate of interest. They seem to be very daring, taking big risks.
As known to all, there are some cases in which the workers suffer for many reasons like poor working conditions, persecution by the evil employers, poor industrial relations, fake employment agencies and non-compliance of the terms and conditions enshrined in the employment contract Inter alia.
In consideration of the aforementioned situations, people should ponder over the pros and cons of going abroad to be able to lead a better life. It is wise of us not to resist change but a change should be for betterment. However, in our search for greener pasture, we must take great care of assessing the risks. Otherwise, we will be in big trouble like a tiger that moves to another jungle only to die there.
