AS traditional destinations for Myanmar’s overseas job seekers dry up, they are looking further afield – but without much success.

Most Myanmar workers take jobs in Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan. Now they are also looking at Brunei and Dubai, say industry professionals. But job opportunities there are scarce.

“Demand for employees in Brunei comes once in a blue moon. And even then, they offer no more than one or two vacancies. They prefer experienced hands only. But some Myanmar workers who have been in Brunei call their relatives or friends if they know that a job vacancy has arisen,” said the manager of New Fortune overseas employment agency.

“As a last resort, many Myanmar workers have chosen to go to the Middle East and Brunei. In the Middle East, there are jobs for general workers those with and expertise in the hotel industry. Unlike the Middle East, Brunei offers jobs for medical doctors and engineers only. Agencies report no Brunei demand except for one or two jobs for electricians, mechanics repairing and installing air-conditioners,” said the director of an overseas employment agency.

Since job demand from Brunei is weak, agency services for that country are rare. The services fee for going to Brunei is about K240,000 and the monthly wage of a general worker is US$600 to $700.