Myanmar looking to improve local employment opportunities

Burmese Songkran Festival in Macau

A Myanmar Overseas Chinese group has said that Burmese nationals are facing setbacks when finding a job in Macau due to bureaucratic woes. According to a TDM report, the group claims that Burmese citizens are experiencing difficulties in landing a job in the city because of administrative differences between the two regions.
The association is now in talks with both local and Burmese authorities to solve the problem.
According to official figures, last year there were about 2,000 Burmese workers in Macau. The Association of Mutual Help of Myanmar Overseas Chinese estimates that this figure has increased by over 1,000 people this year.
Differences in recruitment and visa processes in both regions are hampering employment opportunities for Burmese nationals here, said the president of the Association of Mutual Help of Myanmar Overseas Chinese, Huang Qiongheng. “Macau demands the workers assume a given position in one month’s time after the documents are approved, but it takes two to three months for the Burmese side to finish the process. Workers can’t work if the time limit is exceeded,” he stated, as quoted by TDM.
The local government has plans to amend the Labor Relations Law, with the aim of preventing tourists from job hunting. Mr Huang said he has spoken with officials from the Labor Affairs Bureau and the Public Security Police, as well as Burmese authorities on these issues, and wishes to urge the government to provide solutions before the law is amended.
Moreover, he said he fears that the culture of about 30,000 Burmese-Chinese living in town is at risk. “We have links with Myanmar. We are concerned about all issues relating to Myanmar and accordingly the friendship between China and Myanmar,” he stressed.
The group organizes the Songkran Festival in Macau, which entails a water pouring event featuring traditional costumes, rituals, and the gastronomy of Myanmar. They have also recently launched a Chinese essay anthology on the story of the Burmese diaspora in during World War II.