Increased demand for (and migration of) Myanmar workers to Thailand

The Irrawaddy reports:

Thai demand for Burmese migrant workers is on the rise and the Federation of Overseas Employment Agencies has received requests to send 5,000 migrant workers per month to Thailand, up from 3,000 workers in previous months, Eleven Media reports. Workers sent through a Burmese labor agency are supposed to earn a daily wage of US $10, but often they are paid less, as Thai employers try to recoup transport, visa and other costs of bringing in a worker. The federation’s chairman Ming Hlaing said workers “have to repay 1,000 baht [$30] per month from their salaries for 10 months. But the employers take more than the amount which is agreed upon in the contract.”

Eleven Media reports:

The number of Myanmar migrant workers going to Thailand has significantly increased during these months despite unfair payment there, according to sources from overseas employment agencies. The Federation of Overseas Employment Agencies said employers from Thailand has also increased asking for more workers from Myanmar, requesting over 5000 workers a month now. They previously had asked for 3,000 workers a month.