According to the National Census in 2014, there are 2.31 million persons with disabilities (4.6% of the total population) in Myanmar with an unemployment rate cited as being as high as 85%*.
For persons with disabilities to participate in the labour force, in addition to technical and vocational competence with which persons with disabilities should be equipped, one of key factors is employers’ understanding of disabilities generally. Since 2017, AAR Japan has been making efforts to promote employers’ understanding of persons with disabilities in cooperation with other supporting organizations for persons with disabilities. Our efforts to establish relationships with employers through firm visits and to support persons with disabilities to find jobs has borne fruit and, in 2018, as many as 26 firms and businesses employed persons with disabilities for the first time.
AAR Japan, in cooperation with the Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business (MCRB), a local organization engaged in, among others, the promotion of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Myanmar, published a handbook titled “Employing Persons with Disabilities” to be used by employers in Myanmar. This was the first publication of this kind in the country. The handbook was highly appreciated by the government of Myanmar and was officially distributed in various occasions and ceremonies. The handbook can be downloaded free of charge through the homepage of International Labour Organisation (ILO) .