By Hanthar Hein - May 03, 2025

Around 10,000 Myanmar workers who have already signed EC contracts are still waiting for deployment although the Ministry of Labour began accepting new overseas job demand letters starting May 2, according to worker sources.

Licensed agencies are now restricted to a limited quota of workers per country due to recent changes in the overseas employment policy. This includes all demand letters submitted prior to January 30, 2025, as well as newly submitted ones, which must comply with the new quota system. The Ministry has announced that agencies can now begin submitting demand letters under the revised policy.

Despite this allowance, workers who signed contracts before January 30 and have not yet received permission to depart for jobs abroad remain in limbo. Agencies report that these workers are eager to leave, and agencies themselves are prioritizing their deployment over new submissions.

“Many agencies are more focused on getting previously contracted workers out as soon as possible. Both the agencies and the workers will face losses if those who signed contracts can't depart. That's why we’re urging the Ministry to grant deployment approval to those already under contract,” said a representative from a licensed agency.

While some agencies began submitting new demand letters on May 2, there is concern about how the Ministry will respond, especially given previous issues with submissions exceeding the allowed quota.

“Submissions exceeded the permitted quota in previous cases. So, we’re unsure how the Ministry will respond even if we resubmit today. It feels like things are being shut down indirectly, and agencies are left worried,” said a representative from an agency sending workers to Thailand.

The new policy issued by the Ministry of Labour caps each licensed agency’s monthly quota for demand letter submissions at 50 workers for Thailand, 15 for Japan, 20 for Malaysia, 10 for South Korea, 5 for Singapore, and 10 for other countries.