Myanmar

MYANMAR BUSINESS SURVEY: DATA ANALYSIS AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS
Figure 3.28. Is technical or professional skill an issue?
Other services
Manufacturing
Agriculture
Hotels and restaurants
Trade
Extractive industries
0 20 40 60 80 100
Per cent
Yes
No
Source: ESCAP-OECD-UMFCCI Myanmar Business Survey Database.
Figure 3.29. Most frequent skills problems
800
Number of respondents
600
400
200
0
Lack of adequate skills
Labour costs are too high for skills needed
Skilled employees move to work aboard
Skilled employees move to other firms
Skilled employees move to larger firms
Skilled employees move to other sectors
Source: ESCAP-OECD-UMFCCI Myanmar Business Survey Database.
education as part of the overall reforms of the
education system. Businesses can also contribute by
forming partnerships with the Government in developing
vocational training and research institutes.
4. Computer and ICT skills are lacking at all levels
Figure 3.30 shows that more than 25 per cent of
the respondents indicated that their top management
lacked adequate skills in the use of computers as
well as information and communications technology
(ICT). This result is mainly due to the large number
of micro and small-sized firms in the sample who
disproportionally have trouble hiring top management
with these skills or, more likely, because the owners of
those smaller entities lack such skills. Larger firms are
more concerned about communications, interpersonal
skills, work ethic, analytical thinking, finance and foreign
language skills (figure 3.31).
Lower down the corporate hierarchy, professionals and
skilled workers are the most lacking in management
and leadership skills. Addressing this deficiency requires
the formation of additional higher education schools in
related fields, such as business administration, legal
and engineering (OECD, 2013). Greater cooperation
between the dozen or so ministries responsible for
education will be necessary for identifying future skills
demands in Myanmar and for developing policies
accordingly.
5. Skilled worker shortages are mostly addressed through
in-house training
Most firms that had experienced a skills shortage
chose to organize in-house training to upgrade the
skills of their employees (figure 3.32). Very few firms
reported relying on external training by public or private
centres. In fact most firms do not cooperate with any
38