Immigration | Agencies federation predicts surge in Burmese workers

Tim Wong

The executive director of the newly founded Macau Myanmar Human Resource Agencies Federation (MMHRAF), Tim Wong, expects that more people from Myanmar will be attracted to Macau after the casino resort projects in Cotai are finished in the upcoming years.
The federation has also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Myanmar Overseas Employment Agencies Federation (MOEAF), a Myanmar government-sanctioned organization, regarding the protection of Burmese workers in Macau.
The inauguration ceremony of the leadership of MMHRAF took place last week.
Tim Wong told the media that there are currently around 2,000 Burmese working in Macau. He thinks that the number will increase significantly in the coming two to three years.
“We can see that casino projects will be completed in the next two to three years. (…) Therefore, we estimated that the number will rise significantly,” he said.
Mr Wong predicted that there will be 50,000 more new job vacancies in the near future. He also pointed out that the cost of Burmese labor, who he described as very hardworking, is low. “Hence, we see that there is this trend [to hire Burmese workers]”, he said.
Mr Wong said that most overseas Burmese were usually in the catering, service and construction industries, as well as domestic workers. He believes that Macau’s salary level is more competitive than other countries and cities in Asia, which also serves as a pull factor for Burmese workers.
Moreover, the executive director claimed that there are many cases where workers from Myanmar come to Macau with tourist visas and work here illegally. Thus, his federation wants to help both Myanmar and Macau to regulate the workers.
“This loophole has existed for a long time. Macau, as a tourist city, does not prevent any visitors from coming here. Therefore, there are many visitors who come here as tourists but seek out job opportunities,” he said.
Tim Wong added that their federation is communicating with the authorities of Macau and Myanmar regarding the visa systems of both places.
Furthermore, Mr Wong has observed that most of the disputes between workers from Myanmar and employers in Macau were triggered by poor communication.
He said that Burmese workers usually speak Burmese and English, which makes it difficult for their employers in Macau to communicate with them. The cultural differences also served as a trigger.
The executive director said that relevant vocational training will be provided in order to prepare the laborers for work in Macau. JPL