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More and More Businesses in Myanmar are Hiring Persons with Disabilities

28 November, 2019

Myint Htun Oo, 02 Customer Service Representative Staff, 1875 Call Centre, Blue Ocean Operating Management Co.

In advance of the International Day of People with Disabilities (IDPWD) on 3 December 2019, which has the theme “THE FUTURE IS ACCESSIBLE”, Vicky Bowman, Director of MCRB congratulated the increasing number of businesses in Myanmar who are employing people with disabilities because they recognise it makes good business sense.

Since 2014 MCRB has been working with companies, government, non-governmental organisations and development partners to promote greater employment of persons with disabilities. This has included publishing a Handbook on “Employing Persons with Disabilities” which was launched on 3 December 2018 by MCRB and AAR Japan with the support of the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement and the Myanmar Federation of People with Disabilities (MFPD). Hundreds of copies of this have been distributed to government, business, and others, and the English version has already been downloaded over 1,000 times, with the Myanmar version almost 500 times. MCRB has today uploaded the Myanmar version of the handbook as its first ever audio version for the visually impaired, prepared in cooperation with the Myanmar National Association for the Blind, and available here.

The Handbook includes many examples of companies such as Blue Ocean call centre, KBZ Bank, Myanmar Apex Bank, Myanma Insurance, Novotel Yangon Max, and Sule Shangri-La explaining how they have enhanced their productivity and the motivation of the teams by taking on employees with disabilities, and where the employee shared their story.

At an MCRB workshop in March 2019 to raise business awareness about employment and disability - in particular human resources managers -participants were asked to nominate other businesses who were strong on disability inclusion in Myanmar. The company most commonly highlighted by participants was KBZ Bank for the job opportunities it provides to persons with disabilities and the ‘reasonable accommodations’ (adjustments) it offers them to support them in the workplace. In addition to KBZ and MAB, CB Bank was also mentioned, and other hotels praised included Rose Garden and Melia. Other companies mentioned were Moe Yan lottery, and Mizzima Media Group. Social enterprises Hla Day and Yangon Bakehouse were identified as providing livelihood opportunities and vocational training for persons with disabilities, particularly women.