Unemployment in Myanmar

Myanmar's direct national series from the Central Statistical Organization reported 0.03 million unemployed people and a 0.17% rate in 2020, 0.30 million and 1.33% in 2021, 0.59 million and 2.53% in 2022, and 0.88 million and 3.69% in 2023. The labour force increased from 22.61 million to 23.97 million over the same period. The 2025 World Bank/ILOEST estimate of 3.0% is modelled and should not be treated as a newer direct survey result. The rate counts people without work who are actively seeking work and available to work. It does not fully show hidden joblessness, underemployment or loss of job quality. The 2024 Myanmar Poverty and Living Conditions Survey reported employment equal to 60.9% of the working-age population, including about 2.1 million more employed people but only around 0.3 million more salaried workers. Wage employment fell from 38.2% in 2017 to 25.3% in 2024, while casual work, self-employment and informal work remain widespread. The International Labour Organization reported informal employment at 85.7% in 2020. The main public employment-service option is registration with a Township Labour Exchange Office, followed by job matching through the office or Myanmarjob.gov.mm. The Employment and Skill Development Law allows government labour exchange offices and requires private employment agencies to serve jobseekers free of charge. The reviewed sources do not state a labour-exchange registration fee, so the local office should confirm any current charge, documents and appointment practice. Access and timing can vary by township and security conditions. The Ministry of Labour, Department of Labour, Township Social Security Offices and the Social Welfare Department have different responsibilities; targeted social assistance is not the same as unemployment insurance. The Social Security Law 2012 and Social Security Rules 2014 contain a statutory unemployment-insurance design for workers insured through a registered establishment. It describes eligibility after at least 36 months of contributions, involuntary dismissal or permanent closure, good health, willingness and ability to work, registration with a Township Labour Exchange Office and monthly reporting to that office or the Township Social Security Office. The claim design uses a one-month filing period and documents such as Form-34, the employer's Form-35, a termination order and a labour-exchange certificate. Voluntary resignation and dismissal for misconduct disqualify a claimant under the design. The statutory amount is 50% of average wages for 60 days after 36 months of contributions, with 30 additional days for each further 12 months, up to 180 days after 84 months or more; a married dependent supplement can reach 10%. The design refers to 1% worker and 1% employer contributions. These parameters describe the legal design, not a confirmed current payment. The Social Security Board's November 2025 profile lists health and social care, family assistance and employment-injury branches as implemented, while unemployment, old-age, invalidity and survivors' branches remained pending. Coverage is therefore limited in practice, especially for informal and self-employed workers, farmers, domestic workers, day workers and some part-time workers. A new job, unjustified refusal of suitable work or training, criminal imprisonment or permanent departure from Myanmar can end a statutory payment under the legal design. Severance is a separate employer liability, not unemployment insurance. The stated design ranges from half a month's pay after 6 to 11 months of service to a maximum of 13 months' pay after 300 or more months. Liquidation, unforeseeable suspension and death may qualify in defined circumstances, while resignation and misconduct do not. The exact claim interpretation should be confirmed with the Social Security Board or the relevant labour office. Labour-exchange registers cannot be used as the national unemployment denominator. The Central Statistical Organization's methodology refers to 18 offices in Yangon and 73 offices in other States and Regions; the 2023–2024 table records 567,647 registered jobseekers in Yangon but supplies no corresponding value for the other areas in the reviewed extract. Registration numbers therefore measure use of that service, not the total number of unemployed people. Keep employment and termination records, verify contribution history and the dismissal reason, and ask the relevant office which services, forms, funding and local assistance are active before relying on a statutory benefit.