UN labor group says 1.6M jobs lost in Myanmar in 2021

By ELAINE KURTENBACH
AP Business Writer

BANGKOK (AP) — The International Labor Organization says about 1.6 million jobs were lost in Myanmar in 2021, with women suffering the biggest setbacks as work in factories, tourism and construction dwindled amid the pandemic and a military takeover. In a report issued Friday, the ILO said the country was facing a “multi-dimensional humanitarian crisis” as political turmoil, violence, insecurity and displacement have been heaped on top of the troubles from the coronavirus pandemic. Myanmar’s economy is estimated to have contracted by about 18% last year. The ILO said that many workers had shifted into poor paying jobs or farm work. Labor groups say conditions at factories have deteriorated as the military administration has cracked down on labor organizing.