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Rapid relief efforts and long-term employment recovery plans aim to protect workers, support small businesses, and promote decent work in Myanmar’s post-earthquake recovery.
Yangon (ILO News) – The International Labour Organization (ILO) has mobilized immediate support for workers and small businesses in Myanmar in response to the catastrophic earthquake that struck on 28 March 2025. Longer-term labour market recovery initiatives are also under development.
The disaster resulted in a death toll of over 3,600 and more than 48,000 houses collapse. Tens of thousands of workers have lost their incomes and entire communities been displaced, especially in the hardest-hit areas of Mandalay and Sagaing.
ILO provided financial assistance to workers’ and employer’s organizations in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, helping them meet the immediate needs of their members. Fact-finding missions have also taken place to Mandalay and Sagaing with a rapid assessment exercise underway to help shape ILO’s response going forward and contribute to the Post Disaster Needs Assessment and actions of the UN Country Team in Myanmar.
Labour market recovery strategies under consideration are likely to include emergency employment-intensive investment programmes such as small infrastructure rehabilitation projects that engage businesses and communities to create decent and sustainable jobs. Dedicated initiatives to address the needs of seasonal agricultural workers and tackle issues related to occupational safety and health, forced labour and child labour are other options. Meanwhile, trade unions, business organizations and community-based groups will be supported to continue delivering vital services to those affected as well as to ensure their active participation in recovery and reconstruction efforts.
"In the face of immense loss and disruption, the ILO stands in solidarity with the people of Myanmar," said Kaori Nakamura-Osaka, ILO Assistant Director General and Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific. "Our priority is to support the people of Myanmar including workers and employers in rebuilding livelihoods through decent and sustainable employment, while ensuring that recovery efforts protect the most vulnerable and uphold the principles of social justice."
The earthquake is estimated to have pushed two million people into critical need of assistance and protection, compounding an already severe situation that saw 19.9 million people out of a total population of 54 million in need of aid even before the disaster. More than 17 million people across 57 of the country’s 330 townships live in areas affected by the earthquake while over 9.1 million live in the hardest-hit areas, including Mandalay and Sagaing.
ILO considers that recovery strategies will only reach their full potential if they are supported by concrete progress in implementing the recommendations of the ILO Commission of Inquiry in its 2023 report.