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October 15, 2025

Myanmar Sets New Minimum Wage

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Myanmar’s National Committee for Setting the Minimum Wage has introduced another MMK 1,000 daily allowance for private-sector workers, bringing the total minimum daily wage to MMK 7,800 (approx. USD 3.72). Notification No. 1/2025 marks the third such increase in recent years as the government continues adjusting compensation across both public and private sectors. Although the notification was issued on October 14, 2025, it takes retroactive effect from October 1, 2025.

Current Minimum Wage Structure

In May 2018, the committee established a base minimum wage of MMK 4,800 (approximately USD 2.29) for an eight-hour workday (MMK 600 per hour), applying to all workers regardless of location or job type.

The committee has subsequently announced additional daily allowances for private-sector workers: MMK 1,000 effective October 1, 2023, and another MMK 1,000 effective August 1, 2024. With the latest MMK 1,000 daily allowance from October 1, 2025, the total additional allowance reaches MMK 3,000, resulting in a new combined minimum daily wage of MMK 7,800.

Alignment with Public Sector Increases

The new allowance aligns with increases granted to government personnel. The Ministry of Finance and Revenue’s Notification No. 110/2025 previously granted monthly increases of MMK 30,000 to service and Tatmadaw personnel starting in October 2023 and August 2024. With the latest increase effective October 1, 2025, the total monthly allowance for these personnel now amounts to MMK 90,000. Daily wage employees in government departments received MMK 1,000 increases in the same periods, totaling MMK 3,000 in daily allowances—mirroring the private-sector adjustment.

Key Implementation Details

The latest announcement confirms several important aspects of the allowance structure:

  • Employees are entitled to the base wage and additional allowances during their entitled leave and holidays, in accordance with the 1951 Leave and Holidays Act.
  • The MMK 3,000 daily allowance is excluded from overtime calculations, which must be based solely on the base wage of MMK 4,800.
  • These allowances do not apply to micro and family businesses with fewer than 10 workers.
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