Workers in Myanmar’s garment industry struggle under civil war economy: Video

Wai Wai, a 23-year-old garment worker in Yangon, works 12-hour shifts sewing clothes for export to Europe and China, earning just over $3 daily. Once able to supplement her income with overtime, she now struggles to make ends meet.

“Before the coup, we could work overtime until 9 p.m. and earn extra money for personal expenses,” Wai Wai said. “Now, the salary we earn is just for supporting our family, and the money left is only enough for food,” she told the AFP.

To stretch her limited income, Wai Wai skips breakfast most days and eats meat only once a week. Her meals typically consist of rice with vegetables or fried eggs.

Another worker, 19-year-old Thin Thin Khine, shares similar struggles. She and her two sisters, all employed in the garment industry, find it impossible to save or spend on anything beyond basic necessities. “In the past, we could buy two or three pieces of clothing every month,” she said. “Now we can’t afford new clothes, cosmetics, or personal care items. Food is the priority.”

Factory owners, too, are caught in the economic downturn. Rising living and rental costs have tightened profit margins, leaving them unable to improve wages for workers.

“The working situation right now is like we invest more money and get less profit,” said Khin Khin Wai, a garment factory owner. She estimates that a daily wage of $2 would be the bare minimum for workers to survive but acknowledges her inability to meet that threshold. “We aren’t in a position to pay more.”

Despite these hardships, the garment sector remains one of Myanmar's few economic lifelines, generating billions in export revenue. However, the industry’s reliance on low wages and precarious working conditions highlights the human cost of this success.

Myanmar's economy has been in freefall since the military coup in 2021, which plunged the nation into civil war and prompted international sanctions.