About

Project Summary

Myanmar is in a historical political, economic and social transition. A key element to ensure inclusive development in the transition is a well-functioning labour market. Recognizing this, the Government of Myanmar has set in motion a myriad of initiatives to improve labour market dynamism while also protecting workers’ rights.

The process has so far prioritized the 'pace of reform' instead of building a rigorous evidence base. However, the Government’s reform intentions has recently been challenged, questioning its true objectives in terms of reintegration across ethnicity and gender. Little is therefore known about the potential consequences of recent labour reforms across different groups in Myanmar. Moreover, since a very high share of the Myanmar work force is employed informally an important challenge will be to identify how these new labour laws directly or indirectly influence informal workers and employers. REALM will fill this gap.

REALM will clarify the debates and generate new knowledge about labour market reforms and their distributional impacts across gender and ethnic divides, using up-to-date quantitative analytical tools and newly generated data with a view to supporting improved policymaking.

Project Period

1 January 2019 – 31 December 2022

Project Budget

4,983,899 DKK

Funding

The project is funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, through Danida.