The report Developing a Financially Viable Ethical Recruitment Model: Prospects for the Myanmar-Thailand Recruitment Channel, provides an analysis of labour recruitment along the Myanmar-Thailand corridor, highlighting significant challenges and potential solutions for advancing ethical recruitment practices. The analysis, made by the Issara Institute with the support of Humanity United and the Freedom Fund, reveals that the current Memorandum of Understanding process is expensive, time-consuming, and confusing for job seekers. Additionally, Myanmar recruitment agencies rely heavily on informal brokers, increasing risks and costs for job seekers. Transparency and accountability issues are compounded by a lack of oversight and due diligence in selecting Thai agencies. The bargaining power imbalance favours Thai employers, leading to minimal support for migrant workers, who often bear the brunt of recruitment costs.
Key findings highlight the need for a market systems approach to mainstream ethical recruitment. This entails transforming recruitment systems comprehensively to empower job seekers, enhance transparency, and ensure accountability throughout supply chains. Recommendations include fostering multi-stakeholder collaborations involving governments, businesses, NGOs, and global buyers to enforce ethical recruitment policies and incentivize ethical practices. Such initiatives aim to not only mitigate risks for workers but also enhance business outcomes through reduced turnover, improved productivity, and enhanced brand reputation.
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