STRENGTHEN Publication Series

Job creation in Myanmar’s trade agenda

Myanmar is recognized as the last frontier market in Asia with the potential for rapid growth after a series of notable political and economic reform reforms undertaken in 2011 and onwards which include many agendas such as decentralization, financial and trade liberalization, regulatory reform, and strengthening institutions. This has led to structural change in the Myanmar economy as trade and investment volumes have increased steadily and the sectoral composition of GDP has changed. Despite Myanmar’s GDP and trade growth, the growth in jobs remains slow. Among the working-age population, 38.9 % were out of the labour force and an estimated 4.25 million people have emigrated abroad, mainly for work purposes. The benefits of Myanmar’s economic growth do not appear to be reaching the whole working-age population. This study aims to map out the Government of Myanmar’s (GoM) policies and institutions for job creation, especially within the trade sector.