Decent Wages in Myanmar

Decent Wage Myanmar, Phase 1 supported national stakeholders in revising Myanmar’s minimum wage by providing neutral, technical evidence on wages, living costs, and working conditions.

In a context where minimum wage setting requires credible, independent data to inform tripartite dialogue, the project addressed critical information gaps by systematically documenting actual earnings and cost-of-living realities faced by low-paid workers.

During the second half of 2019, extensive face-to-face surveys were conducted across five low-wage sectors garment, construction, fishing, food preparation, processing and storage, and agriculture in four regions: Ayeyarwady, Bago, Mandalay, and Yangon. The resulting dataset captured detailed information on wages, working hours, employment arrangements, and household expenditures, generating a robust empirical basis for policy discussion.

The evidence produced by the project directly supported consultations and negotiations between government, employers, and trade unions on the revision of minimum wage levels planned for 2020. By grounding minimum wage debates in transparent, worker-based data, the project contributed to more informed and balanced decision-making processes.

Role WageIndicator

WageIndicator Foundation acted as lead partner, designing and implementing the Myanmar Decent Wage Survey 2019, organising and conducting interviews with workers, processing and analysing the wage and cost of living data, and producing the resulting dataset, data visuals and report “Decent wages in Myanmar 2019”.