The garment sector in Myanmar is facing a host of problems. The long list includes: transport, logistics, infrastructure and electricity supply. But the most serious is the shortage of skilled labour. Consequently, Myanmar’s garment manufacturers are finding it difficult to secure high-end contracts. Most factory owners are willing to take on workers with no experience and train them in-house. But once they are trained workers leave for better salaries.

After the EU lifted trade sanctions in April 2013, numerous garment factories have sprouted in the country. There was a great demand for labour and they started luring skilled workers away from their present workplace. But now with lack of skilled labour, production is at a standstill.

Myanmar’s garment workers have one of the lowest minimum wages in the region. And workers of really high caliber prefer to leave the country in search of higher-paying work. The bright spot is that as political and market unrest plagues Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia and China, investors from Europe, America, Japan, Korea and China are turning their sight on Myanmar, where they see better possibilities, even if these are not immediately obvious.