Myanmar’s military regime is attempting to use the promise of overseas employment to lure more young men into mandatory military service, a move that is facing resistance from employment agencies and arriving alongside new travel restrictions for existing migrant workers.
During a recent meeting in Naypyidaw, the regime’s Ministry of Labour instructed the Myanmar Overseas Employment Agency Association (MOEAA) to help secure jobs in Japan, Thailand, and Malaysia for conscripts who have completed their mandatory two-years of military service.
While the directive is currently framed as “encouragement” rather than a strict mandate, employment agency operators are highly reluctant to cooperate.
Speaking to DVB on the condition of anonymity, one agency source expressed fear that assisting the military regime could severely damage their credibility and expose them to public backlash or retaliatory attacks.
The carrot and the stick
The push to reward discharged soldiers with foreign jobs acts as a desperate “incentive” to encourage draft compliance, labor groups say, as widespread economic instability drives a mass exodus of Myanmar’s youth.
However, this supposed incentive is paired with a severe tightening of the regime’s grip on those already working abroad.
The Ministry of Labour in Naypyidaw recently announced that, starting May 1, all migrant workers returning home on leave must obtain official letters from their foreign employer and the host country’s embassy before they will be permitted to depart Myanmar again.
The regime claims the new rule is designed to “ensure safe migration and prevent human trafficking.” In reality, the regime warned that those who fail to comply will be blacklisted and barred from leaving the country.
These new hurdles compound existing restrictions imposed since the 2021 military coup. Overseas employment agencies report that the regime routinely stalls documentation to enforce mandatory tax payments and the forced remittance of foreign currency earnings through state-run banks.
A hollow promise for conscripts?
According to an October report by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), roughly 40 per cent of young people in Myanmar would leave the country if given the chance, driven by a collapsing economy and profound fears of military conscription.
By weaponizing this desire to leave, the military hopes to fill its dwindling ranks. Since the nationwide conscription law was enforced in February 2024, the regime has initiated 24 rounds of recruitment.
With a quota of 5,000 conscripts per intake, an estimated 110,000 men between the ages of 18 and 35 have been forced into the military since April 2024.
Yet, whether many conscripts will survive to see the promised benefit of foreign employment remains highly questionable.
Sources close to the regime revealed that out of the 5,155 conscripts from the very first intake, only 631 have been officially discharged and allowed to return home after completing their two years of mandatory military service.
With only a small fraction of recruits being officially discharged upon completing their service, the regime’s promise of an overseas job appears to be a highly elusive reward.
