Hpa-an project aims to halt worker exodus

Hpa-an project aims to halt worker exodus

By Juliet Shwe Gaung
Volume 31, No. 606
December 19 - 25, 2011

OFFICIALS, investors and residents of Hpa-an say they hope an industrial zone being built there will provide job opportunities that will encourage young people to stay in the area instead of seeking work in Thailand.

Chief Minister for Kayin State U Zaw Min took part in a foundation-laying ceremony for the 970-acre zone on December 7. During the ceremony U Zaw Min said President U Thein Sein had instructed state and regional governments to build industrial zones throughout the nation to boost development and create jobs.

He said Hpa-an residents had thrown their support behind the creation of the zone, which he hoped to repay by ensuring that salaries at the zone were competitive.

“We will manage to pay workers salaries high enough to encourage them to stay here and not go to Thailand,” he said.

Major investors in the zone include Myanmar Southern Development, which is a consortium of 20 firms.

“We believe we will succeed because this zone benefits investors and locals too,” said U Thant Zin Tun, chairman of Myanmar Southern Development.

He added that Kayin residents would be given preference when applying for jobs.

U Thant Zin Tun said the company is preparing its financial plans and would provide training to the workers it will hire to run the hotel and golf course it is developing, as well as the garment and soft drink factories it is building.

He added that a training school for garment workers would be set up in Hpa-an and employees would also be provided with on-the-job training at factories in Yangon.

The hotel employees would receive their training at Mandalay Hill Resort and Centre Point Hotel in Yangon, he added.

U Thant Zin Tun said the company was also planning to pay salaries comparable to similar jobs in Thailand.

“People who go and work in Thailand earn about 6000 baht a month, or about K200,000. If we can create jobs in Hpa-an they will not need to find accommodation or spend so much money for meals, so our salaries will be lower,” he said.

“We think it will be easy to find good workers here because many locals have experience from working in Thailand,” he said.

He added that the products made in the company’s factories would also be sold domestically.

U Myint Htay, managing director of Myanmar Southern Development, said he was confident of producing quality goods at the zone that could compete against those made in Thailand or China.

“We aim to bring technicians from Yangon to train our workers and want to share our knowledge and industry experience with locals. Myanmar has not focussed enough in the past on creating a skilled workforce and that is something we believe should be worked on,” he said.

Saw Ba Thein, formerly a Democratic Karen Buddhist Army soldier and now Kayin State chairman of Myanmar Southern Development, said the country’s political situation was improving and economic development in the area would benefit locals.

“I believe that the government’s aim of building up factories in Kayin State will provide benefits and jobs for the Karen people,” Saw Ba Thein said.

However, Palone Done Yaung, 33, a Baptist pastor in Done Yin village tract, said the companies would probably struggle to offer salaries high enough to compete with positions in Thailand.

He said that even the lowest-paid Myanmar women workers in Thailand could expect to earn B6000 a month, with meals and accommodation included. But those who have lived in Thailand for several years and spoke Thai could easily find jobs that paid B12,000.

Men who worked at markets or construction sites could easily find jobs that paid B300 a day, with meals and accommodation not included. Some worked day and night shifts to double their income.

“These workers can easily save B6000 a month or B10,000 if they are careful. But I think industrial zone workers in Myanmar are lucky to find jobs that pay K100,000 a month, which is only about B3600,” he said.

He added that education standards were low in many Kayin communities, which meant the jobs they would be able to get would be the lowest paid.

“The number of university or high school graduates here is low, so if the jobs require qualifications few locals will be able to get those jobs,” he said.

He added that university graduates from the community normally found employment with NGOs, which paid higher salaries.

However, he added that the recent floods in Thailand had encouraged many Myanmar workers, including Kayin nationals, to return home.

“About one-third of the Done Yin villagers who were working in Thailand came back because of the floods but some have already gone back over the border again. And many are only waiting in Myanmar and hope to return to jobs in Thailand as soon as possible,” he said.

However, Saw Ba Thein said he thought some job seekers would be persuaded to work at Hpa-an Industrial Zone because they would be close to their families, even if the salaries were low.

“If there are jobs near their homes and families we hope the salaries won’t be a problem. People leave here because there are no jobs at all,” he said.