Assessment of the business

service and training market

in Myanmar

Gemunu Wijesena and Roel Hakemulder

ILO Myanmar and the SME Unit ILO Geneva

 2014

Assessment of the business service and

training market in Myanmar

Gemunu Wijesena and Roel Hakemulder

ILO Liaison Office in Myanmar

Small and Medium Enterprises Unit

Enterprises Department
ILO Geneva
Copyright © International Labour Organization 2014

First published 2014

Publications of the International Labour Office enjoy copyright under Protocol 2 of the Universal Copyright Convention.
Nevertheless, short excerpts from them may be reproduced without authorization, on condition that the source is
indicated. For rights of reproduction or translation, application should be made to ILO Publications (Rights and Permissions),
International Labour Office, CH-1211 Geneva 22, Switzerland, or by email: [email protected]. The International Labour
Office welcomes such applications.
Libraries, institutions and other users registered with reproduction rights organizations may make copies in accordance
with the licences issued to them for this purpose. Visit http://www.ifrro.org to find the reproduction rights organization in
your country.

ILO Cataloguing in Publication Data

Wijsena, Gemunu; Hakemulder, Roel

Assessment of the business service and training market in Myanmar / Gemunu Wijsena, Roel Hakemulder ; International
Labour Office, Small and Medium Enterprises Unit, Enterprises Department. - Geneva: ILO, 2014

ISBN: 9789221284949 (print); 9789221284956 (web pdf)

International Labour Office; Enterprises Dept

business development service / entrepreneurship / financial management / supply and demand / management
development / small enterprise / Myanmar
03.04.5

The designations employed in ILO publications, which are in conformity with United Nations practice, and the presentation
of material therein do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the International Labour Office
concerning the legal status of any country, area or territory or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its
frontiers.

The responsibility for opinions expressed in signed articles, studies and other contributions rests solely with their authors,
and publication does not constitute an endorsement by the International Labour Office of the opinions expressed in them.

Reference to names of firms and commercial products and processes does not imply their endorsement by the
International Labour Office, and any failure to mention a particular firm, commercial product or process is not a sign of
disapproval.

ILO publications and electronic products can be obtained through major booksellers or ILO local offices in many countries,
or direct from ILO Publications, International Labour Office, CH-1211 Geneva 22, Switzerland. Catalogues or lists of new
publications are available free of charge from the above address, or by email: [email protected]

Visit our website: http://www.ilo.org/publns

Cover design by Maurizio Costanza with contribution (original globe design) by Miriam Christensen

Layout by Annie Guyon-Degraeve

Printed in Switzerland
Foreword

Micro and small enterprises (MSEs) are vital instruments for job creation and growth in
developing economies. But also in industrialized economies, the contribution of MSEs towards
employment and GDP is highly significant. As a result, supporting development of MSEs is one of the
most important ways in which the goal of securing decent employment opportunities for all can be
achieved.

However, for the MSEs to flourish and contribute to the creation of a sustainable and inclusive
economy, a favourable business environment for the development of smaller businesses needs to be
in place. One major obstacle that MSEs face is the lack of supply or access to (1) financial and (2)
non-financial or business development services (BDS), such as market information, consultancy
services, legal and accounting advice, vocational/technical training, entrepreneurship and business
management training.

In June and July 2013, a team of experts from a consulting firm that specializes in MSE
development – PSD Facilitators – carried out an assessment of the business services market for MSEs
in Myanmar to generate a better understanding of the situation of BDS and business management
training. The assessment comprised a review of available studies, data and documentation,
interviews and surveys of more than 300 MSEs in Yangon and Bagan.

The assessment estimated the number of MSEs in Myanmar and the unmet demand for
business services. The report finds that if political stability improves the prospects of output and
employment growth of these MSEs are particularly strong. However, in order to enable the sector to
grow, the access and provision of business and financial services needs to drastically improve.

This paper reflects the findings of the assessment and provides recommendations on how to
improve the business services market in Myanmar. This assessment was funded by NORAD1 and was
used to design an ILO project in support of entrepreneurship and SME development that will be
funded by NORAD and Swiss SECO2 starting in 2014.

The target audiences of this paper are private sector development practitioners, development
agencies, governments and other organizations engaged in establishing enterprise support
programmes.

Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation.

1

2
Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs.

iii
 The research for this report took place in mid-2013. Thanks are due to the main authors,
Gemunu Wijesena and Roel Hakemulder and to the support team in the ILO office in Yangon. The
report was edited and finalized by Pranati Mehtha with support from Annie Guyon and under the
guidance of Merten Sievers, the Value Chain Development and Business Services Coordinator, all of
whom are part of the SME Unit in ILO Geneva.

Steve Marshall Merten Sievers

ILO Liaison Officer in Myanmar VCD and BDS Coordinator
SME Unit
Enterprises Department

iv
Table of Contents

Foreword................................................................................................................................................. iii

List of Acronyms/Abbreviations ............................................................................................................. vii

Executive summary ................................................................................................................................. ix

1. Introduction - background and objectives .................................................................................... 1

2. Methodology ................................................................................................................................. 2

3. Context .......................................................................................................................................... 5

3.1 The political context ...................................................................................................................... 5

3.2 The economic context .................................................................................................................. 6

3.3 Micro, small and medium enterprises ......................................................................................... 11

3.4 Characteristics of the enterprises and entrepreneurs ................................................................ 14

3.5 Private sector organizations ........................................................................................................ 17

3.6 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 17

4. Demand for services .................................................................................................................... 18

4.1 Demand for financial services..................................................................................................... 18

4.2 Demand for non-financial services .............................................................................................. 19

4.2.1. Business services in demand ........................................................................................... 19

4.3 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 26

5. Supply of services ........................................................................................................................ 27

5.1 Financial services ......................................................................................................................... 27

5.1.1 Providers.......................................................................................................................... 27
5.1.2 Target groups, products and prices................................................................................. 28

5.2 Non-financial services .................................................................................................................. 28

5.2.1 Providers/Outreach ......................................................................................................... 28
5.2.2 Target groups, products and prices................................................................................. 30

v
 5.3 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 30
6. Recommendations ....................................................................................................................... 32

6.1 The business services market ...................................................................................................... 32

6.2 Entrepreneurship and business management training ............................................................... 33

Annex 1 – Summary of key findings of potential growth sectors .......................................................... 35

Annex 2 – Tables and diagrams referred to in the text ......................................................................... 38

Annex 3 – List of organizations interviewed .......................................................................................... 43

Annex 4 – References ............................................................................................................................ 45

vi
List of Acronyms/Abbreviations

Association of South East Asian Nations ASEAN

Business Development Service Providers BDSPs
Business Development Services BDS
Centre for Vocational Training CVT
Chamber of Commerce and Industry CCI
Chartered Institute of Marketing CIM
Consultative Group to Assist the Poor CGAP
Corporate Social Responsibility CSR
Donor Committee for Enterprise Development DECD
European Union EU
Focused Group Discussions FGD
Foreign Direct Investment FDI
Friedrich Naumann Foundation FNF
German Agency for Technical Cooperation GIZ
Gross Domestic Production GDP
Gross National Income GNI
Human Development Index HDI
International Finance Corporation IFC
International Labour Organization ILO
International Non-Governmental Organization INGO
Livelihood and Food Security Trust fund LIFT
Micro and Small Enterprise MSE
Micro Finance MF
Micro Finance Institute MFI
Micro Small and Medium Enterprise MSME
Monitoring and Evaluation M&E
Myanmar Kyats MMK
Myanmar Marketing Research & Development Co. Ltd MMRD
National League for Democracy NLD
National Program for Community Empowerment PNPM
Non-Government Organization NGO
Republic of the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of
RUMFCCI
Commerce and Industry
Small and Medium Enterprise SME
Small Business Association Management SBAM
Small Business Associations SBAM
Special Economic Zones SEZ
Start and Improve Your Business SIYB
State Law and Order Restoration Council SLORC

vii
Technical and Vocational Education and Training TVET
United Nations Development Program UNDP
United States US
Vocational Training VT
World Bank WB
World Trade Organization WTO

viii
Executive summary

This is a report of an assessment of the market for business services for micro and small
enterprises (MSEs). The focus is on non-financial services and business start-up and management
training. However, financial services were considered as well.3 The objective is to inform
development and government agencies engaged in support to micro and small enterprise
development.

The study was conducted in June and July 2013. It comprised a review of available studies, data
and documentation, some 40 interviews with key informants, a small survey of 315 MSEs in Yangon
and Bagan and 6 Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with MSEs.

The study finds that the prospects for private sector development in Myanmar are significant,
with GDP growth expected to increase from around 5 to 7 or 8% over the coming years. This builds
on abundant natural and cultural resources, on-going economic reforms, and the expectation of
foreign investment and donor support. Important challenges remain. These are related to a possible
slowdown and reversal of the political and economic reform process, the absence of adequate
institutions for a functioning market economy, corruption, low investments in infrastructure and
ethnic tensions.

Opportunities for output and employment growth are thought to be particularly strong in
labour intensive manufacturing, tourism and travel, construction and retail. Strong output growth
can also be expected in agriculture, energy and mining, telecommunications and financial services.

This will translate into many opportunities for the MSEs. The current study estimates that the
total number of MSEs may be around 2.8 million, with some 39,000 start-ups annually. Business
services to support them in contributing and participating in growth are among the main factors that
can accelerate economic and employment growth.

The potential demand for business services and the expressed willingness to pay for services
that address such needs (88.7% of the MSEs interviewed were willing to pay) is strong.
Entrepreneurs give priority to services that provide them information on the market, knowledge and
skills to reach customers and make sales, improve workers’ technical skills and develop linkages to
new buyers and suppliers. Knowledge and skills to reach customers can be addressed through
business management training, while improved management skills can also contribute to addressing
the other priorities.

Services would have to address fairly simple business issues. Characteristics of delivery
prioritized by entrepreneurs are that the training should be easy to access in terms of distance and
timing. The availability of printed training material was appreciated by a majority.

Current usage of business services is very low, at just 19.7% of interviewed MSEs. The study
indicates that this is not due to weak actual demand but because entrepreneurs either believe that
services are unavailable or have low awareness of what is on offer and how it can be accessed. Only
around 5% of users had paid for services. This does not reflect significantly on the willingness to pay

3
This summary is limited to non-financial services, which was the study’s main focus.

ix
since the large majority of services had been provided within value chain relationships (by buyers
and suppliers) and were therefore part of commercial transactions.

Supply of services is very weak (vocational/technical training mainly). It is characterized by low

capacity, outreach, and diversity. While limited business management education is available (mostly
in Yangon), this targets students and the corporate sector, not MSEs. There is no structured or
standard entrepreneurship or business management training product for MSEs on the market at
present. The situation with other services such as developing market linkages, provision of market
information, business consultancy services and technology training services is similar. Supply of such
services to both urban and rural MSEs is weak or non-existent. Public sector providers are fully
dependent on government budget allocations, while NGOs depend on donors. This limits their scope
(potential outreach) and sustainability.

The study resulted in the following key recommendations on the business services and
business management and start-up training markets:

1. The main interventions to develop the market for business services need to initially invest in
developing the supply side.

2. Efforts to develop the supply of business services should focus on the private sector and
possibly on local NGOs. Government institutions function under severe budget and
bureaucratic constraints and officials are in any case not the providers of choice.

3. Exploring ways in which business services can be provided by actors in value chains is
recommended for developing sustainable services embedded in market systems.

4. The business services developed should as much as possible be adapted to the specific needs of
the target markets, i.e. the characteristics of the enterprises and their markets, gender roles,
localities, ethnic groups.

5. A further implication is the need for gender analysis. The present study has not found
significant differences between the needs of (potential) male and female entrepreneurs.

6. Urban areas can be expected to grow and potential outreach of services is greatest in urban
areas. The initial focus should be on the main urban centres.

7. Once more services become available, targeted promotion by the providers is likely to be more
effective than large-scale campaigns. This could make use of business associations and
chambers.

8. The market for business services is not yet distorted by donor and government subsidies and
incentives. Therefore, initiative should be undertaken to bring stakeholders together to
coordinate the development of sustainable and viable services.

9. Invest in the development of a capacity to provide (potential) MS entrepreneurs with

entrepreneurship, business start-up and business management training.

10. Training should be adapted to local needs and circumstances. Most important is availability in
local languages, and an emphasis on marketing-related skills and knowledge.

11. For outreach to smaller towns and rural areas, alternative delivery modalities should be
developed. For example, through mass media.

x
1. Introduction - background and objectives

After decades of economic isolation, Myanmar has now begun to open its economy. The
country has been restructuring its policies with the goal of establishing a market-oriented economy.
Micro and small enterprises (MSEs) play a key role in this type of sustainable economic development
as many of the private companies tend to be MSEs. However, in order to contribute to any
development, MSEs require adequate support services, such as availability of business management
skills and easy access to finance.

In order to understand the overall situation of MSE sector in Myanmar, the resulting need and
demand for business management training and other support services to them, and the current
situation with regard to the supply of such services; a business service market assessment was
conducted in June-July 2013.4 The findings are relevant to government and development agencies
that aim to promote entrepreneurship by providing support for MSE growth.

This report summarizes the process adopted to conduct the assessment and the key findings
related to the demand for and supply of business services.

The assessment was carried out through a review of secondary information comprising recent
studies and primary research, for which the methodology is described in Chapter 2. This report starts
with a brief description of the context in which interventions in private sector development
generally, and business services in particular, are taking place. Chapter 3 considers the size, role and
characteristics of the micro, small and medium size enterprises sector and private sector
organizations. Chapter 4 provides the findings on demand for services, starting with financial
services and continuing, in more detail, with non-financial services. Chapter 5 looks at the supply of
financial and non-financial services. At the end of the report, recommendations are provided on the
business services market in general and entrepreneurship and business management training in
particular.

4
PSD Facilitators (Pvt) Ltd. conducted an assessment of the business services and management training
market in Myanmar.

1
2. Methodology

The methodology used in the market assessment includes:

 A review of secondary information,5 including recent studies of the private sector;

 Primary research comprising a sample survey of MSEs, focus group discussions (FGDs)
and interviews with key informants.

The primary research was supervised and conducted by Gemunu Wijesena, with support from
Htet Aung Myo of the ILO Yangon Office and participation of Merten Sievers from ILO Geneva. It
covered:

 A questionnaire survey of 315 MSEs;6

 6 FGDs covering nearly 50 MSEs and recent start-ups on their current demand for
services;
 About 40 interviews with key informants, including donors, development agencies,
business service providers, banks and microfinance providers, relevant government
organizations, chambers and business associations, and value chain actors.

It was not possible to survey a fully representative sample due to limitations in time and
resources as well as the unavailability of up-to-date secondary information on the number of MSEs.
Within these limitations, it was attempted to put together a sample that would allow the study to
provide fairly reliable conclusions about MSEs in general and to compare sectors, male and female
entrepreneurs and two locations – Yangon and Bagan. Therefore, a combined purposive sampling
with random sampling on the basis of geographical clustering was carried out.7 The sample of 315
enterprises:

 Covered MSEs only: No medium size enterprises were included as they are few in number
and not a market for the kind of business services for which this study is an assessment
of. In the survey small enterprises were defined as having more than 5 and fewer than 50
employees. Micro businesses made up 58% of the sample, small enterprises 42%.

5
The most important secondary sources used were reports of the Asian Development Bank (ADB),
Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP), McKinsey and the Economist Intelligence Unit, which can be
found referenced in Annex 4.
6
The sample survey was conducted by the Myanmar Marketing Research & Development Co. Ltd., using a
questionnaire designed by PSD Facilitators (Pvt) Ltd. The survey team comprised 15 enumerators, a supervisor
and a data entry operator, with overall supervision by Gemunu Wijesena.
7
Maps of Yangon and Bagan/Nyaung-U downloaded from Google map were the sampling frame in this survey.
2 2
Yagon City was divided into 4 km blocks, Bagan/Nyaung-U (which is smaller) into 1km blocks. Green areas
were excluded. Blocks were selected at random. To meet the quota for each sector and prevent the overlap of
types of business, the non probability sampling method was applied to select the respondents inside each
block.

2
  Excluded agriculture, fisheries, livestock farming, etc., except when carried out on a
commercial basis. Farms that are largely subsistence are not a target group for business
services.
 Covered manufacturing, services and trade in about equal proportions (33%, 34%, 33%),
to allow comparison.
 Was comprised of about as many women as men (53%, 47%), to allow comparison.
 Covered MSEs in Yangon (the main city) and Bagan (a major tourist attraction), to allow
comparison.

The questionnaire consisted of 33 questions covering the following areas:

 General information about the enterprises in terms of type of business, age of the
business, number of employees, owner’s age, sex, education level.
 Utilization of and demand for financial and non-financial services, type of services, source
of services, usage rate, payment of fees.
 Needs of the businesses for business services, willingness to pay and expected features of
services (especially in relation to MSE management training).
 Situation in relation to the business environment, membership in business associations
and registration of the businesses

The actual sample structure by size of enterprise, township and sector is summarized in Table 1
below.

Table 1: Structure of surveyed sample of MSEs

Micro Small Grand

Township
Manufacturing Services Trading Manufacturing Services Trading Total

Yangon 40 40 40 30 30 30 210

Bagan/
21 21 21 14 14 14 105
Nyaung-U
Grand
61 61 61 44 44 44 315
Total

A summary of the number of FGD participants by enterprise size, sector, location and sex is
given in Table 2. Care was taken to include women in all groups.

3
Table 2: MSEs participation in FGDs

Small Micro Total

Area Type of FGD
Female Male Female Male Female Male

Trading 3 1 3 1

Manufacturin
Yangon 3 1 1 3 14 10
g

Services 2 1 2 3

Trading 2 2 2 2
Bagan /
Handicraft 2 1 1 4 11 13
Nyaung -U
Services 2 3 2 1

Total 14 9 11 14 25 23

A list of key informants interviewed is provided in Annex 3.

4
3. Context

3.1 The political context

Myanmar is going through a period of dramatic political change. From 1962 to 2011 the country
was ruled by the military and isolated from much of the world due to the Government’s human
rights abuses such as use of forced labour (including children), repression of political opposition and
ethnic minorities. The military did not accept the results of the elections in 1990, won by the
National League for Democracy (NLD), which led to sanctions (economic, military, and aimed at the
leadership) from much of the international community, the EU and the US in particular. India, China
and South Korea, however, continued to invest in the country.

Elections in 2010 were boycotted by the

NLD. It and other opposition groups claimed
that there was widespread fraud, and the
elections were generally judged neither free
nor fair.8 Although the elections marked the
end of official military rule, ex-military
generals led the civilian government that was
installed. The power of the military was
therefore, de facto guaranteed. The new
2008 Constitution provided a further legal
basis for this: 25% of both chambers of
parliament were reserved for the military
and so were three ministerial posts.
However, the President, Thein Sein, who is
considered as a reformist, made moves
towards political liberalization, including the
release from house arrest of opposition
leader Aung San Suu Kyi and hundreds of
other political prisoners in 2010. New
legislation allowed for assembly, provided for
labour rights and political participation. In
November 2011, the NLD agreed to take part in parliamentary by-elections, which were held in early
2012. The party won seats in the lower house of the parliament and Aung San Suu Kyi was declared
as the leader of opposition in the lower house.

8
Economist Intelligence Unit (2012).

5
 These developments led to the EU lifting all non-military sanctions for a year in 2012 and
offering USD 100 million in development aid. This was made permanent in April 2013, to the dismay
of human rights organizations that believed it was premature.9 It is still unclear who is directing the
changes in Myanmar and whether the moves towards democratization are genuine or a façade for
the continuation of a military-dominated balance of power. In the latter case, further social and
political unrest is likely.

Since 2012 pre-publication censorship has been lifted and privately-owned newspapers have
been allowed. Ethnic tension and conflict remain an important factor. Ceasefire agreements are in
place with all but one of the 18 non-state armed groups and at the time of this publication, talks for
a nationwide ceasefire as a precursor to substantive peace negotiations were underway. However,
sporadic clashes have continued. Ethnic minority leaders remain suspicious of the motives of the
military-dominated government. Between 2011 and 2013, dozens of people in Rakhine State were
killed in violence between Buddhists and Muslims. About 140,000 affected people have been forced
to leave their villages.10

As many of the reforms require time to establish and with the continuation of many
contradictions, the future remains uncertain. Developments over 2012 and 2013 indicate that
reforms will continue, suggesting that democratic institutions could take root over the next ten
years. Elections scheduled for late 2015 will be crucial.

3.2 The economic context

Main characteristics
Myanmar is divided into 14 states and regions, subdivided into 64 districts. The population is
estimated to number around 60 million and includes 135 distinct ethnic groups, with the ethnic
Burmese making up 68% of the population.11 More than two-thirds live in rural areas, in sharp
contrast to other Southeast Asian countries, which have rapidly urbanized.

GDP hardly grew between 1930 and 1990. This changed following the limited economic
liberalization that started in 1988, when the military State Law and Order Restoration Council
(SLORC) took power and abandoned the model of a socialist economy. It declared a transition to a
market oriented economy and adopted legislation that allowed for the growth of the private
sector12. GDP per capita grew at an average rate of 2.7% per year between 1990 and 2010, with lows
due to a banking crisis in 2003 and cyclone Nargis in 2008. This growth rate was still low compared

9
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-22254493
10
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-23077537
11
CGAP (2013), McKinsey (2013).
12
Aung Kyaw (2008).

6
to 4.2% of Asian benchmark countries. 13 Between 2010 and 2012 growth accelerated with the ADB
reporting 5.3 to 5.5%.

Most other development indicators are similarly low, though nearly all have shown
improvement over the past decade. Myanmar ranks 149 out of 187 on the HDI (2012). 26% of the
population lives under the poverty line (down from 32.1% in 2005), with rural poverty especially
widespread (29% compared to 15% urban).14 Geographical disparities are strong (e.g. 73% in Chin,
7% in Kayak).15 While the food poverty rate has decreased to 5% (from 47% in 1990), one out of
three children is malnourished.16

Access to basic services (health, education, power, water) is low. Wide regional disparities also
exist. The average number of years of education is just 3.9, one of the lowest in the world. However,
the adult literacy rate of 92% (nearly 96% among 15-24 year olds) is better than could be expected
on this basis.17 The girls to boys ratio in schools is around 0.95, comparable to neighbouring
countries. Average life expectancy is between 58 and 65.6, higher for women than men. The ratio of
healthcare worker to population is one to 1,700, compared to 1 to 269 for Southeast Asia.18 About
71% of the population has access to safe drinking water.19 Estimates of access to power vary, from
13% overall to 34% in rural and 89% in urban area.20 Long outages are a daily occurrence.

Agriculture (including crops, livestock, fisheries, forestry) is the most important sector, even
though since the 1990s manufacturing and services sectors have increased their share of GDP. In
2012, agriculture accounted for 36 to 43% of GDP and 52 to 54% of employment (depending on
sources).21 Manufacturing currently accounts for 26% and services for 38%.

Labour market
The World Bank estimates that the labour participation rate (of women and men above 15
years of age) is 78.4 %, only a slight increase from 77.7% in 2003.22 This is lower for women than for

13
http://data.worldbank.org/country/myanmar, UNDP (2013).
14
Ministry of National Planning and Economic Development, SIDA, UNICEF, UNDP (2011).
15
ADB (2012), page 10.
16
ADB (2012), page 7.
17
McKinsey (2013), Economist Intelligence Unit (2012).
18
McKinsey (2013).
19
http://www.care.org.au/Page.aspx?pid=326
20
McKinsey (2013), page 75, ADB (2012), page 7.
21
Economist Intelligence Unit (2012), McKinsey (2013), ADB (2012).
22
http://www.tradingeconomics.com/myanmar/employment-in-industry-percent-of-total-employment-wb-
data.html

7
men (74.8 and 81.8% respectively). This would mean about 25% of the labour force is unemployed.
Some 3 million work abroad, mostly in ASEAN, with remittances accounting for at least 5% of GDP.23

The labour market suffers from a serious shortage of well-educated and skilled women and
men. Government spending on education was only around 1.4% of GDP in the 2012/13 i.e. 6.5% of
the government budget, in spite of the need to catch up after decades of underinvestment.
Enrolment rates in primary school are very high, but those in secondary and tertiary education are
low at 54 to 58% and 11% respectively. Those in Technical and Vocation Education and Training
(TVET) are similarly low. Post-primary education is considered to be of low quality.

Very low government spending on health also affects the quality of human capital.24

Prospects
The overall prospects of the economy varies depending on the pace and extent of political and
economic reform.25 This involves the willingness of the ruling elite to progressively part with the high
level of control that it exerts over the country’s political and economic processes. At the current rate
of reform, which seems the most likely scenario, GDP growth may be more than 5 % annually over
the next 5 years, increasing to 7 % or 8% by 2016 or 2017.

Sectors
Several recent analyses have identified (sub) sectors that have potential to show significant
growth over the next decade or two. Growth in terms of output and employment is expected to be
particularly significant in:
 Labour intensive, low-skilled manufacturing;
 Tourism and travel;
 Construction;
 Retail.

Growth in terms of output but less in terms of employment can be expected in:
 Agriculture, including agribusiness (and livestock, fisheries, forestry);
 Energy and mining;
 Telecommunication;
 Banking, financial services.

23
Ministry of Labour, quoted in CGAP (2013), http://www.elevenmyanmar.com/business/2230-myanmar-
unemployment-rate-near-40-percent-study-finds
24
ADB (2012), Economist Intelligence Unit (2012).
25
This section draws most on ADB (2012), Economist Intelligence Unit (2012), McKinsey (2013), in addition to
the findings of the current study (Focus Group Discussions and interviews). Growth projections are from these
sources.

8
 Key findings from recent studies and the current research is summarised in Annex 1.26

Opportunities and challenges

The positive forecasts for economic growth are premised on the assumption that the key
constraints will be addressed so opportunities can be made use of. The main opportunities are:

 ASEAN membership leading to enhanced trade and investment opportunities with

member countries.
 WTO membership, which will facilitate integration into the global economy and access
to international financial and development institutions, which are a source of loans
and aid.
 Strong interest from foreign investors, international donors and development
agencies.

Strengths that Myanmar will be able to make use of include:

 Abundant natural resources.

 A young population: 40% of working age population is 15-28 years old.
 A growing economy, which will increase the domestic market.
 The on-going reforms, with the aim of improving the business and investment climate.
They include:
o Privatization of state enterprises (though the process lacks transparency);
o Easing of restrictions on the use of private land;
o Easing restrictions on foreign investment under the Foreign Investment Law;
o Changes in banking legislation (Financial Institutions Law) that give the Central
Bank of Myanmar more independence in setting monetary policy, aim at
improving access to credit, easing interest rates controls, allow private banks to
expand branch network and may allow foreign banks to operate in Myanmar;
o Plans to establish Special Economic Zones (under an SEZ Law);
o Plans to make increases in the health and education budgets.

26
It should be noted here that Myanmar is also the world’s second largest producer of heroin, and that
exports are booming. The military, government officials and armed resistance groups are widely believed to be
involved in or control large-scale heroin trafficking (Economist Intelligence Unit (2012),
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Triangle_(Southeast_Asia), http://www.ibtimes.com/burmas-godfather-
heroin-dies-drug-trade-flourishes-rebels-soldiers-government-officials-all-battle).

9
 However, great challenges need to be addressed:

In terms of macro-economic conditions:

 No monetary policy framework, interest rates are controlled and exchange rates
distorted.
 Government spending restricted due to high public and external debt

In terms of the social/cultural environment:

 Discrimination against ethnic minorities affects the contribution they can make (and
the benefits they gain) from economic development.

 This study has not identified significant constraints related to gender roles, but this
should be further investigated through gender analysis studies.

In terms of the regulatory environment and institutions that implement rules and regulations:

 Absence of a clear strategy to manage the transition to a market economy.

 Absence or limited capacity of government institutions charged with development and
implementation of policies. Policymaking is haphazard.
 General lack of accountability and transparency. Myanmar ranks 180 out of 183
countries on Transparency International’s perceived corruption index.
 Tax legislation is ambiguous.
 An absence of rule of law as the result of the absence of independence of the justice
system.
 Little/no security of tenure to land.

In terms of services that support private sector development:

 The labour market suffers from a serious shortage of well-educated and skilled
women and men.
 Absence of a well-functioning financial system. There are just 0.85 commercial bank
branches per 1,000 square km. The interest rate is high.27 Consequently, the level of
credit is low.28
 State-owned enterprises are still favoured, for instance with access to credit.
 Access to foreign currency is controlled, which leads to shortages in inputs.
 Access to reliable electricity, telecommunication and internet is low.
 Infrastructure is weak due to chronic underinvestment.
 Research institutions have weak R&D capacity and MSEs are not linked to them.

26
ADB 2012.
27
Aung Kyaw, 2008.

10
In terms of the enterprises themselves:

 Enterprises have little or no connection with global markets and their products and
services do not meet international quality standards.
 In domestic markets, enterprises find it hard to compete with the cheap and better
quality imports from neighbouring countries.
 The level of diversification is low.
 The level of technology is low.

3.3 Micro, small and medium enterprises

Definition
The 1990 Private Industrial Enterprises Law and the 1991 Cottage Industries Promotion Act
(1991) defined the size of the different classes of industries, as in the table below.

Table 3: Current definition of (Micro, Small and Medium Industries) MSMIs

Size No. of workers Capital invested Yearly production Power usage
(kyats) (kyats) (HP)
Cottage/Micro < 10 - - <3
Small 10 – 50 < 1 million < 2.5 million 3 – 25
Medium 51 – 100 1 – 5 million 2.5 to 10 million 26 – 50
Large > 100 > 5 million > 10 million > 50

Source: Khin Maung Than, Htwe Htwe Win (2007); Thein Thein Oo (2013).

These MSMIs resort under the Ministry of Industry. Currently a change in the definition from
MSMIs to SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises) is under consideration, as well as the development
of an SME Development Policy and a government support structure. The new draft definition is
presented in the table below. It seems complicated and is not in line with current practice in the
majority of countries.

Table 4: Draft new definition of SMEs

Small Medium
Workers Manufacturing < 50 51 – 300
Services < 30 31 – 200
Labour intensive or CMP < 300 301 – 600
Capital (kyat) Manufacturing < 500 million 501 – 1000
Services < 200 million 201 – 500
Labour intensive or CMP < 500 million 501 – 1000
Source: Thein Thein Oo (2013).

11
Role of SMEs
The only available estimates of the contribution of SMEs to the economy are those from the
Institute of Developing Economies, which reports that in 2004 SMEs accounted for 92.6% of
enterprises, 69% of output (in the private sector), 68% of investment value and 80% of
employment.29 While these figures are out of date, and exclude the informal economy, they do
indicate that SMEs play a major role in the country’s economy, especially since their number has
only grown since then. The contribution to employment in the private sector is particularly
significant, especially considering this does not include the informal economy.

SME policy and government support framework

Over the past two years the new Government has given indications that it accords higher
priority to the development of SMEs. A Central Committee for Development of Small and Medium
Enterprises, chaired by the President was set up in 2013 to develop an SME policy. The goal of the
proposed policy is development of SMEs by putting in place an ‘enabling environment’ i.e.
development of mainly human resources, technology and financial services.

The SME Development Centre is charged with implementing the SME policy. The Centre has
only recently become operational, and its staffing and budget are unclear. So far it has no
representation outside Yangon. The focus appears to be on manufacturing, in spite of expected
growth in the service and trade sectors.

In terms of business services to SMEs:

 The Technology and Information Department would facilitate technical and business
management training with partners.
 Assistance in market networking, building market linkages and support for
participation in trade fairs are foreseen under the Department of International
Relations.
 Information and advisory services in relation to investment would be offered by the
Investment Extension Department. It would operate a credit guarantee fund for loans
to be provided by the (state) SMI Development Bank.

The Investment Commission under the Ministry of National Planning and Economic
Development is the authority responsible for business registration. It operates in Yangon. It plans to
start offices in other main townships. The Commission is in the process of developing an online
business registration system with support from the ADB. This will become operational in 2014.
Businesses only have to register when they do not operate from home.

29
Aung Kyaw (2008).

12
 The extent to which licensing is compulsory is unclear. Opinions on how easy it is to license a
business vary. Licensing is done at the City Development Committee or in the Township
Development Department in the case of regions. Businesses pay business taxes to those authorities.

Size of micro, small and medium enterprises and potential market for business
services
In the order of most to least, the states/regions of Ayeyarwaddy (5,250), Mandalay (4,960),
Bago (3,708), Sagaing (3,346) and Shan (3,159) have the highest numbers of registered SMEs.

Table 5: Registered private industries by States/Regions (2011)

Numbers of firms
State / Region
Large Medium Small Total
1 Kachin State 25 97 1,082 1,204
2 Kayah State 9 127 100 236
3 Kayin State 64 24 708 796
4 Chin State NA 2 523 525
5 Sagaing Region 247 703 3,346 4,296
6 Tanintharyi Region 127 81 970 1,178
7 Bago Region 195 681 3,708 4,584
8 Magwe Region 91 236 2,149 2,476
9 Mandalay Region 915 2,071 4,960 7,946
10 Mon State 124 220 1,888 2,232
11 Rakhine State 61 54 1,891 2,006
12 Yangon Region 1,647 1,626 2,689 5,962
13 Shan State 162 353 3,159 3674
14 Ayeyarwaddy Region 368 630 5,250 6,248
Total 4,035 6,905 32,423 43,363

Source: Directorate of Industries Supervision and Inspection (2011).

Table 5 shows the regional distribution of registered enterprises as per the old definition.
Therefore, no data is available for the size of cottage (or micro) enterprises. Consequently, this
assessment made a few assumptions to estimate the total number of MSEs that run the risk of
underestimating rather than overestimating:

 Assumption: actually 20% of small industries are registered – the total number of
small industries is about 155,000.
 Assumption: the number of small enterprises in trade and services are comparable
(given the different sectors’ contribution to GDP) – the number of small enterprises is
465,000.

13
  Assumption: There are 5 times more micro than small enterprises (low compared to
ASEAN countries) – total number of micro enterprises is 2.325 million.
 Conclusion: The total number of MSEs is around 2.8 million as of 2012.

This number is likely to be even higher given the positive economic forecasts.

Assumptions related to the size of the potential entrepreneurs have also been made using the
statistics of the Ministry of Industry, which reported that 43,232 private SMEs registered by mid-
2012, up from 36,229 in 2000. This amounts to nearly 600 enterprises per year on average. Large
industries accounted for 11.1%, medium and small for 16.9% and 72.0 % respectively.

 Assumption: the number of registered small enterprises grows by the same number –
total growth is around 1,300 (registered).
 Assumption: this accounts for only 20% of new small enterprises as only 20% register
– the total number of new small enterprises per year is 6,500.
 Assumption: 5 times more micro enterprises start – 32,500 new micro enterprises per
year.
 Conclusion: The total number of start-ups per year is about 39,000.

Graduates from technical and vocational training can also be segmented in the category of
potential start-ups. Technical schools under the Ministry of Science and Technology enrol around
8,000 students annually for the Vocational Training stream, while other line ministries may enrol
another 2,000. In addition, it can be estimated that private and NGO sector skills training providers
take in around five times more students annually for various skills training courses. On average, 5-
10% of vocational training graduates venture into their own enterprises. This would make the size of
this particular market segment 3,000 to 6,000 potential entrepreneurs.

It can be concluded that the potential market for business services to the MSEs is large.

3.4 Characteristics of the enterprises and entrepreneurs

This section summarizes the main characteristics of the 315 MSEs covered in the sample survey
and possible implications for business services.

Size of businesses
58% of the 315 MSEs had fewer than 5 employees. Only 12% had more than 10 employees.
There were no significant size differences among the different sectors, i.e. manufacturing, services
and trade businesses were all more likely to be micro in size. Also, no difference in size was found
between female and male-owned businesses and MSEs in Yangon and Bagan.

14
Type of businesses, products and services in the MSE sector
The survey sample was structured to have an equal representation of the different sectors and
to exclude agriculture. We can therefore not draw any conclusion from it with regards to sector
composition of MSEs. The actual activities that the surveyed MSEs were engaged in (see Annex 2,
Table A.2) were not notably different from what one would expect in other low income countries.

Registration, licensing and taxes

Table 6 provides the survey findings on the registration of MSEs. Only around 8% of MSEs are
registered. Micro and trading businesses are least likely to be registered.

Table 6: Percentage of businesses registered

% of registered businesses

MSEs in Total 8.3%

Micro 3.3%
Business size Small 15.2%
Manufacturing 10.5%
Service 12.4%
Type of Business Trading 1.9%

Businesses being too small or owners being unaware of an obligation to register were the main
reasons given for not registering, which was confirmed by FGDs. There is no obligation to register
businesses that are run from home. However, it is claimed that most MSEs are licensed in the City
Development Committee or in the Township Development Department and are to pay business
taxes to those authorities. The FGDs and interviews indicated confusion and lack of transparency
with regards to what taxes have to be paid.

Table 7: Reasons for not registering MSEs

Reason for not registering No. of enterprises %

Business is small to register 181 62.6
Don't know about such requirement 69 23.9
Registration process is complicated and difficult 21 7.3
No any benefits 8 2.8
No need 8 2.8
Registration is expensive 2 0.7

15
Age of the business
39% of surveyed MSEs are older than 10 years, while 38% have been set up during the last five
years (See Annex 2, Figure A.4). Young enterprises are particularly found in the service sector, while
older enterprises are more often in the manufacturing sector, in Bagan (compared to Yangon). There
are no significant differences by sex.

Male and female business ownership

The survey sample was structured to have equal representation of male and female business
owners. The survey, therefore, does not shed light on the extent to which women are involved in
business compared to men. However, interviews and FGDs indicate that women’s involvement in
enterprise as owners and managers is strong. In most MSEs, both husband and wife work in the
enterprise. (See Annex 2, Figure A.5).

Age of the entrepreneur

The age of entrepreneurs covered by the survey of 315 MSEs ranged from 19-63 years. Close to
half (47%) were below 40 years of age (with 17% below 30). The age class of 41-50 years
represented about one-third of the total 315 MSEs. Only 21% of entrepreneurs were more than 50
years old. These proportions are similar for women and men.

Education level of the entrepreneur

The survey indicates that most MSE owners are well educated. Only 4% have no formal
education while over 20% have completed grade five, 15% have completed junior or senior school
and 33% graduated from university. (See Annex 2, Figure A.6). FGDs confirmed that the education
level of entrepreneurs is quite high. However, key informants expressed doubt about the quality of
university degrees of MS entrepreneurs.

Workers
In micro enterprises, male workers were found to be in the majority. Female workers are in the
majority in trading and services. The FGDs confirmed this and also indicated that a large majority of
MSEs employ family members and relatives.

Future plans
Most of the MSEs surveyed have started with their own investment, while 28% have taken a
loan for the expansion of business. 72% of enterprises plan to further invest over the coming 12
months. More men than women plan to make such investments (76% compared to 69%).

16
3.5 Private sector organizations

The Republic of the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry
(RUMFCCI) is the country’s prime private sector organization. It is the umbrella organization for a
number of “Border Trade Chambers of Commerce” (9), Division Chambers of Commerce and
Industry (8), and State Chambers of Commerce and Industry (8). In addition, the country has some
34 sectorial associations, including the Women’s Entrepreneurs Association. The associations target
membership of medium to large enterprises. Interviews with key informants and FGDs indicate they
generally do not represent MSEs.

These organizations aim to provide services to their members, such as organizing factory visits,
training and trade fairs, assisting in preparing business plans, provision of relevant publications,
facilitating networking with members other commercial associations etc.

3.6 Conclusion

The prospects for the private sector development in Myanmar appear positive, with GDP
growth expected to increase from 5 to 7 or 8% over the coming years. However, important
challenges remain such as a possible slowdown and reversal of the political and economic reform
process. Opportunities for output and employment growth are particularly strong in labour intensive
manufacturing, tourism, construction and retail.

This will include many opportunities for the MSEs. The study estimated that the total number of
MSEs in the country was 2.8 million, the number of start-ups per year was 39,000 and the number of
vocational and training graduates interested in starting a business was between 3,000 and 6,000.

On the basis of the characteristics of MS entrepreneurs, it was found that business services
would have to address fairly simple business issues to target women and men and mostly people
below 50 years old.

The Government has developed an SME Policy and has initiated the development of the
institutional framework to implement it. However, the policy appears to focus on industry and is not
adequately geared towards private sector development that is inclusive of poor women and men or
otherwise excluded groups (e.g. ethnic minorities).

17
4. Demand for services

In the previous chapter, it has already been estimated that the size of existing MSEs and
potential start-ups in Myanmar is substantial. One of the natural outcomes of this is a massive
market demand for business services by these MSEs.

In this chapter we will consider what kinds of services is the potential market likely to demand
or be interested in. We will briefly look at financial services and then consider non-financial services
in more detail because non-financial services are the focus of this study.

4.1 Demand for financial services

Surveys of MSEs and FGD findings indicated that entrepreneurs felt that lack of access to credit
affected business growth as well as the use of non-financial business services. Overall only 30% of
the MSEs had tried to get a loan for their business. This was higher in the manufacturing sector
(39%) and lowest in the service sector (18%). However, it must be noted that 94% of the MSEs that
tried to get a loan were successful, with a higher rate in Yangon (98%) than the Bagan region (84%).
Therefore, although a vast majority of MSEs felt they needed credit, they did not apply for fear of
not qualifying, mainly due to lack of collateral. In addition, it is not easy for MSEs to get a bank loan
due to the lending conditions, limited availability and priority accorded to state enterprises. Access
to and awareness about microfinance also remains low.

The source of loan was very different in the two locations. The findings are presented in Table 8
below. Only a very few MSEs accessed credit from the formal banking sector. FGDs revealed that
some MSEs had taken loan from Myanmar Economic Development Bank by mortgaging their shop or
land.30 The recent introduction of credit cards has resulted in improved access to short-term credit
for working capital. There was no difference between women and men in terms of source of credit.

30
In principle all land (and other natural resources) belongs to the Government. In practice the situation is
complex, as described in UNHCR, UNHABITAT, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (no year). Land
“ownership” is often a source of conflict, including between the local population and foreign investors. Some
land is owned on Freehold (not outside the main cities), much on State grant or lease basis, and can be used
for collateral. Agricultural land is owned by the State and farmers are basically its tenants. While the new Farm
Law allows land (lease) titles to be used as collateral, this is very recent. Duflos, E., Luchtenburg, P., Li Ren, Li
Yan Chen (2013).

18
Table 8: Source of credit
Region
Source of Credit
Yangon Bagan MSEs in overall
Money lender / pawn shop 68% 30% 56%
NGO or micro finance institution 20% 59% 32%
Cooperative 5% 7% 6%
Friend 8% 6%
A state bank 5% 4% 5%
Commercial bank 3% 2%
ROSCA 2% 1%
Other 2% 1%

Demand for savings is reported to be difficult to assess.31 Trust in the banking system is low due
to a crisis in 2003-2004 and inflation has typically been high (20% for much of the past decade).
Most people therefore, prefer to save in gold or other assets. The need for insurance was also not
indicated by the current study. Demand for domestic and international transfer services is high.

Overall, it can be concluded that the demand for credit is likely to be enormous. In 2012,
UNCDF (United Nations Capital Development Fund) estimated demand for micro loans at an
additional US$ 1 billion.32 Numerous studies like the “Microfinance Industry Report-2010” published
by ACTED and Banking with the Poor Network,33 “Microfinance in Myanmar Sector Assessment”34 by
IFC and CGAP, and “Results from Pact’s Microfinance Projects in Myanmar”35 suggest the same and
highlight that there is potential especially for developing the rural market because of the lack of
services there. However, the findings indicate strong unmet demand in urban areas as well.

4.2 Demand for non-financial services

4.2.1. Business services in demand

Types of business services demanded for business improvement

The survey questionnaire asked entrepreneurs “To improve your business and make it more
profitable, do you think you need to improve…” and then suggested a number of possibilities.
Respondents were asked to select three priority areas from a list of fifteen that could be addressed

31
Duflos, E., Luchtenburg, P., Li Ren, Li Yan Chen (2013).
32
UNCDF (2012)
33
http://www.bwtp.org/BWTP%20Network-
ACTED%20Myanmar%20Microfinance%20Industry%20Report%20(English).pdf
34
http://www.cgap.org/publications/microfinance-myanmar-sector-assessment
35
http://www.pactworld.org/pgmf

19
by business services. The focus groups discussed constraints on their business, which can throw light
on the type of services that they would need. The survey findings are shown in the table below:

Table 9: Areas business services could address

% of MSEs
Type of business service
Type of Business
demanded for business
General Tourism
improvement
Total Manufacturing Services Services Trading
1 Information on the market 40.0% 27.6% 28.6% 23.8% 64.8%
Knowledge and skills to reach
2 34.0% 21.9% 21.4% 33.3% 56.2%
customers and make sales
3 Workers' technical skills 33.7% 36.2% 52.4% 38.1% 15.2%
4 Linkages to new buyers 32.7% 54.3% 22.6% 23.8% 21.0%
5 Linkages with suppliers 21.3% 22.9% 20.2% 23.8% 20.0%
Knowledge to develop new
6 16.2% 4.8% 22.6% 47.6% 16.2%
products and services
7 Productivity 12.4% 35.2% 1.9%
8 Stock control system 10.5% 12.4% 1.2% 18.1%
9 Planning the growth of business 9.5% 7.6% 8.3% 28.6% 8.6%
10 Safety and health in working place 9.2% 14.3% 11.9% 9.5% 1.9%
Knowledge and skills to manage
11 7.9% 6.7% 11.9% 9.5% 5.7%
workers
12 Buying procedures 6.0% 3.8% 4.8% 10.5%
Knowledge of government
13 3.5% 3.8% 1.2% 14.3% 2.9%
regulations that apply to business
14 Costing and cost and pricing 2.9% 3.8% 3.6% 1.9%
15 Financial accounts .6% 1.9%

The areas of improvement most frequently mentioned by entrepreneurs were:

 Information on the market;
 Knowledge and skills to reach consumers and make sales;
 Workers’ technical skills;
 Linkages to buyers.

Each of these needs was emphasized in the FGDs as well.

None of the suggested options was not selected at all. However, just a few respondents
considered government regulations and strategic areas such as keeping accounts, costing and pricing
important.

Some differences by sector are notable. There were no differences between women and men.

There were some regional differences, with MSEs in Bagan seeing a stronger need for market
information, business growth planning and product and service development. This finding indicates
the importance of assessing local needs when designing programmes.

20
 In conclusion, it seems clear that MS entrepreneurs see a need for improvement in their
businesses and that some of those needs can be met by business management training.

Valued features for the business services

Respondents were asked which features of services (apart from relevance) they considered
important. The possible features were read out to them. Table 10 shows the result. The trainer
speaking the entrepreneurs’ mother tongue was considered very important or important.
Availability of training outside normal business hours and within the town where the business was
conducted was also considered important.

The availability of written material and provision of certificates were appreciated by somewhat
smaller majorities. The only possible features not considered important were same-sex trainers and
trainees, which is also an important finding.

Table 10: Service delivery features valued by MSEs

% of respondents
Service delivery feature
Very important Important Not at all
The trainer speaks mother tongue 74.2 24.2 1.6
Can access outside normal business hours 23.5 42.5 34.0
Do not need to travel out of town to get service 27.5 33.3 39.2
Receive books that can refer to later 19.0 37.6 43.5
Get a certificate 14.1 38.6 47.4
The trainers are also women/men 1.6 2.9 95.4
The other trainees are also women/men 1.0 2.6 96.4

Willingness to pay
The willingness to pay is high, with 88.7% of the MSEs surveyed willing to pay for services
relevant to the needs they identified. There are no differences between types of business, micro and
small businesses and between men and women in their willingness to pay for services.

Ability to pay is not a major constraint. Only 1.6% of respondents were of the opinion that
business services were too expensive. Though, FGDs and the survey indicated that a “reasonable”
price is considered important.

MSEs in Yangon indicated that they are willing to pay an average of 5,000 Kyats per day, while
the average fee indicated by entrepreneurs in the regions was 2,000 Kyats per day. Services that MS
entrepreneurs are willing to pay for include need-based vocational training.

It should be emphasized that the study could only establish willingness to pay by asking the
respondents and that their actual behaviour could be quite different. On the other hand,
respondents to surveys such as this, often emphasize their inability to pay in the hope of free

21
services. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that there is a high potential for charging a fee
for services directly from clients and there may be a possibility to market services on a commercial
or at least part cost-recovery basis.

4.2.2 Business services in use

We have seen that most MSEs express willingness to pay for services that address their priority
needs for business improvement and that nearly all recognize needs for such improvements. This
establishes that there is potential demand for business service. We will now consider the extent to
which MSEs actually use such services.

Overall use of services

The overall usage of business services is very low, at 19.7% of the MSEs covered by the survey.
69% of these have used more than one service. The low usage of business services was confirmed by
the FGDs, with nearly none of the participants having had experience with them. Their business
knowledge and skills have been gained through experience, self-learning and from parents and
relatives. They rely on family and friends for business advice and business information.

Utilization of business services varies by sector, with usage highest in manufacturing, lowest in
trade (see Figure 1). Slightly more small than micro enterprises have used business services (22.7
compared to 17.5%). The difference between Yangon (26% used services) and Bagan (7%) is
significant.

Figure 1: % of MSEs that has used business services over total number of MSEs

% of MSEs that has used Business Services

25.0 22.7 22.9
19.7 19.0 20.5
17.5 18.8
20.0 17.1
15.0
10.0
5.0
0.0

Characteristics of those who used services

It was found that the better educated are more likely to have used business services (Annex 2:
Table A.3). Young enterprises and entrepreneurs were most likely to have used business services
too. (Annex 2: Table A.4 and Table A.5).

22
 Users of business services are also likely to have used them already. Nearly 70% of users had
used business services already, with 22% of service users having used them more than twice (Annex
2: Figure A.6). MSEs that had been successful at getting a loan were also more likely to use business
services (33% compared to less than 20% for the total). None of the MSEs unsuccessful at getting a
loan had used business services. Conversely, 47% of business service users had been successful at
getting a loan, compared to 27.6% for the total. This indicates that entrepreneurs who use financial
services are more likely to use non-financial ones and vice-versa.

Overall, these findings indicate that current business service users have the same chance of being
women or men, are likely to be of any age group except over 50, have a relatively young business,
are at least functionally literate and are more likely to be among growing enterprises (since they use
loans). However, the diversity within this group is so large that the most likely design conclusion
would be that business services have to be diverse as well.

Type of services used

The types of business services used by the surveyed MSEs are given in Table 14 below. Help to
generate new business ideas was used most, but also had the lowest satisfaction rate. On the
contrary, skills training was not used by a lot of MSEs, but was a priority need.

Some of the much-used services with high satisfaction rates are:

 Facilitation of linkages to buyers and suppliers;

 Information on markets;
 Information and access to technology, equipment and tools.

All other services have hardly been used, with business start-up training used by only 8
enterprises and business management training by just 2.

23
Table 14: Type of business services used

No. of
% of users think
respondents % of
Rank Service the service is
used the users
useful
service
1 Help to get new business ideas 27 43.5 63.0
2 Linking to new buyers 24 38.7 91.7
3 Linking to new suppliers 18 29.0 88.9
4 Information on market opportunities and trends 17 27.4 88.2
Information or access to new technology,
5
equipment, tools 13 21.0 84.6
6 Making a business plan 7 11.3 85.7
7 Skills training 7 11.3 100.0
8 Training on how to start a business 5 8.1 100.0
9 Quality certification of your products or services 5 8.1 100.0
10 Business management training 2 3.2 100.0
11 Service to prepare your businesses’ accounts 2 3.2 100.0
Training on how to use new technology, equipment
12
and tools 2 3.2 100.0
13 Information technology services 2 3.2 50.0
14 Service to prepare your tax file 1 1.6 100.0
15 Opportunity to participate in trade fairs 1 1.6 100.0

Service providers
Over 50% of MSEs that used services had obtained them from private businesses, particularly
from their suppliers and buyers (See Figure 2).

Figure2: From where MSEs get services

From where MSEs get business

services?
National
NGO
Private 16%
business
55%

Governmen
Friend
t28%
organizatio
n
1%

None of the respondents mentioned Business Associations or Chambers as a provider. In fact,

just 5% are a member of such an organization.

24
Figure 3: Reasons for not becoming members in business organizations

Reason for not becoming a member

I don’t have
time to be a
There is no member
association 20% I don’t see
nearby any benefit
34% in becoming
a member
I don’t know
2%
any
association other
43% 1%

Reasons for low usage of business services

We saw that the large majority of MSEs believe there are areas in their business that need
improvement, which can be addressed through business services. MSEs are willing to pay for such
services. However, very few MSEs have used these services. In this section we will consider possible
reasons.

Surveyed MSEs that did not use business services were asked why. The results are illustrated in
Figure 4 below. Not knowing how to access business services was most frequently mentioned.

Figure 4: Reasons for not using business services

Reasons for not using business services

Other Not
13% available
26%

Do not need Don't

27% know how
to get
34%

The awareness of services and providers was a little higher among manufacturing MSEs, where
the usage rate too is a little higher (Figure 5). Also, awareness of business services varies between
the regions: it was higher in Bagan (36.7%), while it was only 11% in Yangon, although they were
more frequently used in Yangon. There was no difference between women and men entrepreneurs
in this respect. FGDs confirmed the very low level of awareness.

25
Figure 5: Awareness of business service providers

Awareness about business services

organizations among non-users

Trading 24.1
Tourism Services 13.3
General Services 11.4
Manufacturing 27.2
Total 20.9
0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0 20.0 25.0 30.0

Low awareness is likely to be related to another main reason for not using services, i.e. their
unavailability. This was mentioned by 26% of MSEs who had not used services. 27% of MSEs stated
they did not use business services because they did not need them, a much higher share than those
who did not see areas for improvement in their businesses (one respondent). Most business
problems are currently solved in-house with advice from family members, relatives or friends and
many MSEs consider this to be adequate. While enterprises such as these are less likely to become
business service users, their opinion may be partly due to lack of awareness of how business services
can help improve their enterprises in more strategic ways. Some of the priority needs they have
indicated may not be easily addressed without external assistance.

4.3 Conclusion

The potential demand for business services and willingness to pay for services that address such
needs (88.7% willing to pay) is strong. Entrepreneurs give priority to services that provide them with
information on the market, knowledge and skills to reach customers and make sales, workers’
technical skills, and linkages to new buyers and suppliers. These demands can be obviously
addressed through business management training. Current usage of business services is very low, at
just 19.7% of interviewed MSEs.

The total number of MSEs in the country was estimated at 2.8 million, the number of start-ups
per year at 39,000 and the number of vocational/technical graduates interested in starting a
business between 3,000 and 6,000. We could estimate the number of MSEs interested in training on
business management related skills at 34% of these numbers (those who prioritized “knowledge and
skills to reach customers and make sales), and the number of those who will act on their needs at
88.7% (those willing to pay). However, to be as conservative as possible, we can assume that 10% of
MSEs would consider business management training as important to their needs and 10% as the
share who would act on this by paying for the services. Even with these very conservative
assumptions, the market for business management training would still be enormous: 28,000 existing
MSEs and per year some 300 to 600 start-ups.

26
5. Supply of services

5.1 Financial services36

5.1.1 Providers

The financial sector is small, undeveloped and state control is its main feature. Overall only 16-
20% of the population is estimated to have access to formal financial services.37 Providers comprise
four state-owned banks and 19 private banks. The sector is so far closed to foreign competition.
Revision of banking laws is on-going in preparation for integration into the ASEAN.

In addition to banks, microloans are provided by NGOs and cooperatives. In 2011, the
Government passed a microfinance law, which allows local and foreign investors to establish
privately owned MFIs. An estimated 2.2 million people have access to formal voluntary micro
deposit services. Micro loans come from the following:

 Money lenders and pawn shops;

 Community based groups (revolving funds, village savings and credit groups – 12,000 of
them, serving 1.4 million people, mostly started by international NGOs);
 Banks – The Myanmar Agricultural Development Bank and the Myanmar Livestock and
Fisheries Development Bank provide small loans to micro enterprises. Private banks have
shown little interest, as it is difficult to make a profit with the controlled interest rates;
 Cooperatives – Supervised by the Cooperatives Ministry. They take deposits and provide
loans, in urban areas mostly. The Central Cooperatives Society is the apex. It also operates
46 village banks. There are also financial cooperatives, under the Union of Savings and Credit
Federation (membership more than 470,000);
 NGOs – since the microfinance legislation in November 2011, most international NGOs have
received or will soon receive an MFI licence (before that only the PACT UNDP had legal
status). Leading providers are: PACT UNDP (with 80% of the NGO/MFI portfolio), GRET, Save
the Children, World Vision – in total 450,000 active borrowers, portfolio over $ 69 million;
 Specialized agricultural development companies – they provide value chain finance;
 Government organizations – non-bank, includes government involvement through women’s
union and political party organizations.

In insurance, the state-owned insurance company is small and has no outreach. It does not
provide insurance for agricultural or business activities. Private insurance companies have now been
allowed to start (none foreign), but they will not offer this type of insurance either.

36
This section draws mostly on Duflos, E., Luchtenburg, P., Li Ren, Li Yan Chen (2013), ADB (2012) and the
Economist Intelligence Unit (2012).
37
LIFT, quoted in Duflos, E., Luchtenburg, P., Li Ren, Li Yan Chen (2013).

27
5.1.2 Target groups, products and prices

Microfinance targets in particular micro and small enterprises (including in agriculture) and the
self-employed. Poor and vulnerable households that require loans to overcome a crisis (for instance
sickness) are a major target group as well. Many NGO microfinance providers target women.

The range of banking services is very small. Bank loans are mostly limited to one-year fixed-rate
loans and fixed deposits. Some banks provide domestic transfer services, which do not reach rural
areas.

NGOs and MFIs provide a broader range of services, i.e. loans of different sizes, maturities and
repayment methods. Most lending methodologies are based on some kind of joint liability (solidarity
groups, village banks, etc.).

Money lenders charge interest between 10 to 20% a month. In formal financial institutions the
Central Bank keeps the interest between 5 and 6%, which is a disincentive to banks to lend to
MSMEs. The main NGOs/MFIs charge rates of around 2.5-3 % per month. While non-conventional
collateral such as gold and crops is now allowed, banks limit the loan to value ratio to 50%.
Affordability is said to be a major reason for MSEs not taking loans from MFIs.

5.2 Non-financial services

5.2.1 Providers/Outreach

Vocational and technical training38

Virtually the only non-financial business service that is fairly widely available is vocational and
technical training. Providers can be found in the private, the not-for profit and the public sector.

There are over 100 private sector vocational/skills training providers. They are concentrated in
Yangon, with a few operating branches in Mandalay. They offer courses on skills such as welding,
metal work, electronics, pipe fitting, motor mechanics, air-conditioning and refrigeration, carpentry,
computer as well as tourism. The course duration varies by course and provider, ranging from 6
weeks to 3 years. Vocational training providers are themselves MSEs, having 5 to 12 full-time staff
and 15 to 20 part-timers. The capacity of these training providers is between 300 to 2,000 trainees
per year per provider. Most of these training providers have good relationships with industries,
through which they arrange internships as part of their courses. Some providers run their own
recruitment agencies that recruit technical staff for local and overseas employment. Most follow
ASEAN standard formal curriculum that are well-recognized in the ASEAN region, including Myanmar
itself.

38
Data on student number disaggregated by sex are not available.

28
 There are a few local NGOs (initiated with international support) that provide vocational and
technical training. They include the Centre for Vocational Training and microfinance providers such
as the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA). They mostly offer their services in regions
such as Shan state, Dry zone, Delta region, Bagan and Mandalay. The course duration ranges from 3
months to 3 years. The capacity of these training providers is between 200 to 600 trainees per year
(by provider).

Public sector vocational and technical training resorts under different ministries. Training is
provided free of charge and is funded from the government budget. Due to financial constraints,
training centres under the ministries have limited capacity.

Entrepreneurship and business management training

Several of the private sector training institutes that offer higher-level technical (engineering)
training also offer their students courses in management related fields. This includes courses on
Marketing Management, Human Resource Management, Business Administration, Accounting and
Financial Management. These prepare students for professional exams such as City & Guilds
(London), Chartered Institute of Marketing CIM (UK) and the Association of Business Executives (UK).

A few (5 to 6) private sector service providers are emerging in the area of entrepreneurship and
small business management training services for entrepreneurs. Two of the training institutes,
Myanmar Human Resources Management Institute and the Business Capacity Building Centre have
recently started to offer Entrepreneurship and SME Management courses targeting medium-scale
enterprises and youths seeking wage employment in the SME sector. The Centre for Vocational
Training, ADRA and the World Vision and Mercy Corps also provide management training. Some
microfinance providers offer training on basic book-keeping and financial literacy as part of their
micro credit programmes.

The RUMFCCI organizes seminars from time to time on thematic management topics. These
target their members who are mostly medium and large enterprises. The Women Entrepreneurs
Association organizes training for its members on an ad hoc basis. Training conducted by other
chambers and associations appears to be insignificant.

In the public sector, training on business management and entrepreneurship is part of the
mandate of the SME Development Centre.

Other services
 Specifically designed technology training for MSEs is almost non-existent. One NGO conducts
training on food technology and some agricultural technologies. The Ministry of Fisheries
and Livestock operates a few fisheries training schools.

 There are a number of tax and audit firms, which are mostly micro in scale and based in
Yangon and a few other main cities. They provide tax consulting, accounting and auditing
services targeting medium scale enterprises.

29
  There is a small number of local as well as foreign affiliated firms that provide legal services
related to business operations. They do not target MSEs.

 IT services for MSEs are extremely limited, especially outside Yangon.

 Some 5 or 6 market research firms are based in Yangon. All have been established over the
past few years, and none targets MSEs.

5.2.2 Target groups, products and prices

Most of the private sector business service providers that offer management training target
medium and large enterprises. Their second target market, particularly of training institutes are
students who want to study for professional exams.

The vocational training providers in the public and NGO sector target youth of poor families and
of vulnerable communities, including rural youth. The non-financial services of microfinance
institutes reach rural communities and often target women.

The above indicates that the range of available non-financial services for the MSE sector is very
limited. Vocational and technical training is the main service on offer. The current supply of other
MSE business services is limited to basic financial training offered by NGOs and microfinance
institutes in particular. The entrepreneurship and small business management training courses are
offered by two to three private training institutes.

Government and NGO service providers offer their services free of charge. In addition, some
NGOs provide travel allowances and a toolkit, while public institutions may offer food and
accommodation. However, private sector providers recover the full cost directly from clients. The
average course fee of most of vocational and technical courses is between 50 to 100 USD per month,
with course durations of between six weeks to four months.

With regard to marketing, private sector providers mainly rely on service quality, a unique
service package, reputation and image, as their main sales arguments. Most service providers use
leaflets, brochures, flyers and posters as their promotional tools. Some providers use mass media
including newspapers, TV and radio. A small percentage uses web-based promotion. The RUMFCCI
under the Ministry of industry is used for promotion as well.

Public sector providers do little marketing. Vocational and technical trainees come through the
education system. The SME Development Centre uses leaflets. The budgets of public sector
providers are severely constrained and leave little room for promotion.

5.3 Conclusion
It can be concluded that the supply side of the business services market is very weak, with a
very limited range of services and low capacity and outreach. There is no structured or standard
entrepreneurship or business management training product for MSEs on the Myanmar market at
present. The situation with other services such as developing market linkages, provision of market

30
information, business consultancy services and technology training services is similar. Supply of such
services to both urban and rural MSEs is weak or non-existent.

Public sector providers are fully dependent on government budget allocations, while NGOs
depend on donors. This limits their scope and sustainability.

Strengthening the supply of services that address the perceived priority needs of MSEs and
marketing services effectively, are the greatest needs in the business services market.

31
6. Recommendations

6.1 The business services market

Recommendation 1

The main interventions to develop the market for business services need to invest in
developing the supply side. The need and potential demand is especially great for services to
supply market information, improve marketing and sales skills, build linkages to buyers and
suppliers and improve technical and vocational skills. These should be the initial focus.

Recommendation 2

Efforts to develop the supply of business services should focus on the private sector and
possibly, local NGOs. The Government works under severe budget constraints and therefore,
is not the provider of choice for business services.

Recommendation 3

Exploring ways in which business services can be provided by actors in value chains is
recommended for developing sustainable services embedded in market systems. Value
chain development is an important avenue for business services development. Promising
sectors in this regard are agriculture, manufacturing, tourism and travel. Embedding services
in value chains in these sectors has been successful in comparable countries.

Recommendation 4

Myanmar is a country of great diversity. Therefore, the business services developed should
as much as possible be adapted to the specific needs of the target markets, i.e. the
characteristics of the enterprises and their markets, women and men, localities, ethnic
groups.

Recommendation 5

Business services development and delivery in ethnic minority areas will have to be
preceded by assessments of ethnicity-related constraints on participating in and benefitting
from the market economy.

Recommendation 6

It is recommended that priority is given to conducting a number of gender analyses in

various localities to inform business services and private sector development programmes in
this regard. The present study was not sufficiently focused on gender differences. Therefore,
no significant differences between the needs of (potential) male and female entrepreneurs
were found.

32
Recommendation 7

While currently the majority of the population lives in rural areas, this can be expected to
change rapidly over the coming decade. Even now, potential outreach of services is greatest
in urban areas, due to the higher concentration of businesses and economic activity. It is
therefore recommended that the initial focus be on the main urban centres. Outreach to
rural populations can be achieved by making use of capacity built in urban centres, which
can function as “hubs” for service delivery (see also recommendation 13).

Recommendation 8

While awareness of business services is low, promotion of services and awareness-raising

obviously needs to await development of the supply side.

Recommendation 9

Donor and government subsidies and incentives do not yet distort the market for business
services. Therefore, efforts should be taken in bringing stakeholders together to coordinate
the development of sustainable and viable services.

6.2 Entrepreneurship and business management training

Recommendation 10

Invest in the development of a capacity to provide (potential) MS entrepreneurs with

entrepreneurship, business start-up and business management training. Given the high
literacy level of MSEs and their interest in written material, such training can be material-
based.

Recommendation 11

Training should be adapted to local needs and circumstances. Most important is availability
in local languages and an emphasis on marketing-related skills and knowledge.

Recommendation 12

The supply side of business service is very limited yet. In the short-term, it is recommended
to explore collaboration with the following organizations:

1. MHR Management Training Institute

2. Business Capacity Building Centre
3. Global Skills International
4. TOTAL Myanmar
5. Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA)
6. Mercy Corps
7. World Vision
8. Centre for Vocational Training (CVT)

33
 9. Myanmar Women Entrepreneurs Association.

The SME Development Centre, Central Department of SMEs Development, Ministry of

Industry, is already being supported by GIZ.

Recommendation 13

For outreach to smaller towns and rural areas, the programme should develop alternative
delivery modalities, including possibly by:

 Developing a local informal capacity (e.g. training existing entrepreneurs or self-help

group leaders to provide training);

 Working with schools;

 Using radio or television, or online services when connectivity improves.

34
 Annex 1 – Summary of key findings of potential growth sectors39

Sector Opportunities Forecast Main needs

Agriculture including  Currently $ 21.2 billion Growth of 4%  Increase productivity through

agribusiness  Abundance of land, water, long per year to irrigation, improving farming
coast line, forest cover (of 2030, but systems, cultivars, fertilizers, tools,
50%), low-cost labour. machinery.
stable in
 Only 18% of land is used, only  Need for R&D, access to finance,
employment
18.5% of this is irrigated. skills upgrading
 Growing local demand,  Develop services in marketing,
potential in retail development storage, packaging, transport,
 Export to neighbouring logistics, machinery and fertilizers
countries, ASEAN (supply chain development).
 Fish and shrimp already a major  Address unclear land rights and
and growing export, catch speculation.
tripled over 10 years.
 Pulses and rice also significant
export.
 World’s largest exporter of teak
 Agri-business and supply
chains will include many and
varied opportunities for
MSMEs
Low-skilled, labour  Currently $ 9.8 billion 10% growth per  Improve infrastructure and logistics
intensive  Low-cost labour year to 2030, to  Improve access to power
manufacturing  Availability of most raw become largest  Upgrade workforce skills (eventually
materials sector, there will be a shortage)
 Expected growth in local  Improve management skills and
employment
demand, and export systems
from 1.8 to 7.6
 Opportunities in textile,  Investment, access to finance
apparel, leather, furniture, toys, million. (including FDI), land
food and beverages, mineral-
based products, rubber and
plastics, agro-processing,
 Move to more value added
manufacturing (including
assembly) in the long run.
 This will include opportunities
for MSMEs.

39
This analysis draws on Economist Intelligence Unit (2012), ADB (2012), McKinsey (2013), and, for agriculture,
FAO (2012). Growth forecasts are from McKinsey.

35
Construction  Currently $10.5 billion 8% annual  Investment in development of local
 Infrastructure is very growth to 2030 capacity, as the sector is small, and
underdeveloped, including in possible, with opening up to foreign investment and
housing, schools, retail employment competition.
infrastructure, hospitals, roads,  Improve transparency and
growing from
bridges, railroads, airports, accountability; companies are and
seaports, industrial zones. 0.5 to 2.3 owned by a small elite in or linked to
 Donor support (loans and million. Government.
grants) and FDI likely. To 2030  Upgrade technical and management
possible $320 billion expertise
investment.  Need for massive donor support
 Could stimulate growth in
construction materials
production,
Energy, mining  Currently contributes $ 8 billon Potential for 5%  Investment in infrastructure,
to GDP annual growth equipment is likely to be the priority
 Natural gas is number one to 2030, but need.
export (40% of total) and the direct  Upgrade technical and management
country has significant reserves. skills
employment
 Oil, minerals, and precious  Liberalise the sector, increase
stones are other major growth is likely competition.
resources. Myanmar is a major to be limited,
source of precious stones (jade, from 0.1 to 0.3
rubies, sapphire). million.
 Hydropower is the main source
of electricity (three
quarters).Only 5% of water
resources is used.
 Local processing of precious
stones, jewellery, retail, are
probably the best MSME
opportunities.
Financial services  Currently contributes $ 0.2 Potential  To increase outreach, volume,
billion to GDP growth rate of transparency and accountability,
 There is no properly functioning 23% annually to adopt comprehensive and best
financial system 2030; practice banking legislation (some
 Key opportunities in work currently being done) that takes
employment
commercial banking, SME market mechanisms as a starting
banking, microfinance, could increase point and minimises political and
development banking from near zero Government interference.
to 0.4 million.  Develop and institutional framework
for oversight
 Allow foreign banks to operate.

36
Telecommunication  $ 0.1 billion contribution to Potential  Develop policies to liberalise the
GDP growth of 23% sector to provide greater scope for
 Most outdated systems in annually to the private sector including foreign
ASEAN – this may be an 2030, firms.
opportunity, as systems can be  Investment in infrastructure,
employment
established from the start with including through schemes that
latest technology. may increase provide incentives to cover rural
 Only 3% mobile phone from near zero areas.
penetration in 2011, but may to 0.2 million.  Development of skills.
already have increased to 9%.
Government aims at 75% in
2016.
 Internet penetration second
lowest in the world.
 Strong private sector interest –
two licenses for foreign firms
were just awarded to a
Norwegian and a Qatari firm.
 This sector can offer
opportunities for MSMEs in
retail and repair.
 Development of the sector will
have a major positive impact on
the rest of the economy,
including MSMEs.
Retail  Incomes are set to continue to No forecasts  Improve distribution channels
increase, and probably more available  Reduce trade barriers to increase the
rapidly. Demand for consumer flow of goods into the country.
goods will strengthen.  Access to finance.

37
Annex 2 – Tables and diagrams referred to in the text

Figure A.1: Type of businesses in the surveyed sample

Type of Businesses
Retail
Tourism 24%
5% Wholesale
10%
Agri-
Business
2%
Service -
general
28% Manufacturi
ng
31%

Figure A.2: Membership in business organizations

Membership in Business Organization

Not a Chamber of
member in Commerce
any and Industry
business 1%
organizatio
n
95% Cooperative
1%
Business
Associations
3%

Figure A.3: Reasons for not becoming members in business organizations

Reason for not becoming a member

I don’t have
time to be a
There is no member
association 20% I don’t see any
nearby benefit in
34% becoming a
member
I don’t know 2%
any
association other
43% 1%

38
Figure A.4: Age of businesses

Age of Businesses

Below 5 yrs 6-10 yrs

38% 23%

11 yrs and
above
39%

Figure A.5: Sex of MSE owners

Business ownership
Own by Male Own by Female

70 57 60 55
60 49 51 52 48 52 48 53
43 45 47
50 40
40
30
20
10
0

Figure A.6: Education level of MSE owners

MSE - Owner's education level

40
% of enterprises

30 Total Yangon
20
10
0

39
Figure A.7: Repeat use of business services (by those who used services)

Repeat use of business services

Used two
services
47%

Used one
Used three
service
services
31%
22%

Table A.1: No. of registered small industries in terms of products/services

Type of products/services No. of Small

enterprises
Food & beverages 22,003
Clothing & apparel 1,354
Construction materials 2,413
Personal goods 479
Household goods 122
Printing & publishing 243
Industrial raw materials 650
Minerals & Mining 1,201
Agricultural equipment 36
Industrial equipment 204
Transport vehicles 65
Electrical goods 12
Miscellaneous 4,674
Total 33,456
Source: ADB (2007).

40
Table A.2: Type of products and services of surveyed MSEs

Manufacturing Services Trading

 Food products such as  Printing and publication  Food and Beverage
pancake, noodle, tofu, etc.
 Repair of electronic and  Household consumer goods
 Chemical products electrical items
 Textile and clothing
 Charcoal  Transport
 Footwear
 Handicraft  Restaurants
 Construction materials
 Garments  Guest house
 Battery and motor spare parts
 Motor vehicle repairing
 Plastic products
 Tyre service
 Chicken, meat & egg
 Tailoring

 Tourism related services

Table A.3: Usage of business services and the education level of the entrepreneur

Education level No. of enterprises who % of age group who used

used BDS BDS
< Grade 5, including the group with no 3 3.8%
formal education
Grade 6 – 10 20 22%
Junior school graduates 12 27%
Senior school graduates 5 19%
University / diploma 22 21%

Table A.4: Usage of BDS and age of the business

Age of business No. of enterprises who used % of age group who used BDS
BDS
< 5 years 6 22%
6 - 10 years 25 24%
11 – 20 years 26 14%
> 20 years 9 18%
Table A.5: Usage of BDS and age of entrepreneur

Age category No. of enterprises who used % of age group who used BDS
BDS
< 30 years 6 11.5%
31 – 40 years 25 26.6%
42 – 50 years 26 25.5%
> 50 years 5 7.5%

41
Table A.6: Needs for improvement perceived by MSEs in Yangon and Bagan

Town
Yangon Bagan
No. of No. of
respondents % respondents %
Information is needed on the market Yes 78 37.1 48 45.7

Knowledge and skills to reach customers and

Yes 53 25.2 54 51.4
make sales

Planning the growth of business Yes 8 3.8 22 21.0

Knowledge to develop new products and

Yes 19 9.0 32 30.5
services

Costing and cost and pricing Yes 7 3.3 2 1.9

Financial accounts Yes 2 1.0 0 0.0

Buying procedures Yes 17 8.1 2 1.9

Stock control system Yes 24 11.4 9 8.6

Knowledge and skills to manage workers Yes 13 6.2 12 11.4

Productivity Yes 34 16.2 5 4.8

Linkages with suppliers Yes 46 21.9 21 20.0

26.7
Linkages to new buyers Yes 75 35.7 28
26.7%

Workers' technical skills Yes 78 37.1 28 26.7

Safety and health in working place Yes 19 9.0 10 9.5

Knowledge of government regulations that 8 3.8 3 2.9

Yes
apply to business

42
Annex 3 – List of organizations interviewed

Name of the Organization Contact Person/s & Designation

1 Gallant Training Centre Zin Myo Swe - Managing Director, Ei Myo Swe -
Marketing Director, Myat Lay Wai - Training
Director
2 Skills Training Centre Ms. Khin Mar Aye - Assistant Director
3 TRC Hotel Training School Kyaw Kay Sint - Chief Consultant
4 Fisheries Training School Principal, Ayerwaddy Division
5 Central Department of SMEs Development Ms. Mu Mu Aye, Assistant Director, Central
(SME Development Centre) Department of SMEs Development, Ministry of
Industry
6 Columbus Travels Mr. Min Din - Managing Director
7 Hotel and Tourism Training Centre - Win Kyi - Principal HTTC
Kandawgyi Hotel
8 Global Skills International U Zay Ya @ Benjamin Lin - Managing Director
9 Myanmar Fruit, Flower and Vegetable U Hnin Oo - Vice Chairman, Soe Than Min Din –
Producer and Exporter Association General Secretary
10 Union of Myanmar Federation of Chamber Khine Khine Nwe (Rosaline), Joint Secretary
of Commerce and Industries General
11 Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF) Ms. Nway Nway Soe, Programme Manager,
Myanmar
12 Small and Medium Industries Dr. Than Tun, Chairman
Development Bank (SMIDB)
13 Centre for Vocational Training (CVT) Ms. Yin Yin Aye, Director
14 GIZ Mr. Thomas Schneider, Senior Advisor
15 MHR Management Training Institute Mr. U. Aye Kyaw, Chief Executive
16 Myanmar women Entrepreneurs Ms. Kyi Kyi Nyein, Executive Committee Member -
Association National and International Relation
17 World Vision Microfinance Program Mr. Neal Youngquist, Microfinance General
Manager
18 Lynn Lynn Chit & Associates Ms. Lynn Lynn Chit
19 Investment Commission / One stop Centre Mr. Aung Naing Oo, Director General
for Investment
20 Myanmar Hoteliers Association President, Bagan Region
21 Myanmar Restaurant Association - Bagan U Tint Swe, Chairman / U Khin Maung Htwe,
Secretary
22 Laqurewear Technology College Director

43
 Name of the Organization Contact Person/s & Designation
23 Embassy of Switzerland, Swiss Agency for Peter Tschumi, Minister / Deputy Head of Mission
Development and Cooperation (SDC) / Director of Cooperation
24 Livelihood and Food Security trust fund Mr. Steve Dowall, Lead Technical Officer
(LIFT)
25 IFC Mr. Charles Schneider
26 Mercy Corps Mr. Paolo Cerati, Program Director / Mr. Thein
Zaw, Senior program Advisor
27 Mon Women's Organization / community Mi Kun Chan Non
in Belugyun island
28 Journeys Nature and Culture Explorations S.B. Chetry - Win Tin, Managing Director
29 Adventist Development and Relief Agency Kyaw Aung, Program Director
(ADRA)
30 Business Capacity Building Centre Dr.Daw Hla Nyunt, Center Manager
31 TOTAL Myanmar SWE SWE Win, Head of Socio Economic
Department

44
Annex 4 – References

Websites:

http://amnesty.org/en/library/asset/ASA16/014/2001/en/949f8934-d92a-11dd-ad8c-
f3d4445c118e/asa160142001en.html
http://apps.who.int/gho/data/view.main (World Health Organization Global Health Observatory
Data Repository)
http://asiancorrespondent.com/99450/us-caught-in-awkward-embrace-of-burma-crony/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-22254493
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-23077537
http://www.care.org.au/Page.aspx?pid=326
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/bm.html (The World Fact Book)
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-South-Central/2013/0601/Myanmar-s-youth-wait-for-key-
fruit-of-reform-jobs
http://data.worldbank.org/country/myanmar
http://www.elevenmyanmar.com/business/2230-myanmar-unemployment-rate-near-40-percent-
study-finds
http://www.ibtimes.com/burmas-godfather-heroin-dies-drug-trade-flourishes-rebels-soldiers-
government-officials-all-battle
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/myanmar-burma
http://www.mixmarket.org/mfi/
http://www.mm.undp.org/
http://www.tradingeconomics.com/myanmar/employment-in-industry-percent-of-total-
employment-wb-data.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Triangle_(Southeast_Asia)
http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/myanmar/overview

Documents:

Asian Development Bank (2012), “Myanmar in Transition: Opportunities and Challenges”.

Asian Development Bank (2012a), “Myanmar Tourism Masterplan”, Project Data Sheet.
Asian Development Bank (2013),“Myanmar Tourism Master Plan FAST FACTS” based on Myanmar
Tourism Master Plan 2013-2020.
Asian Development Bank Institute (2007), “Country Report – Union of Myanmar”.
Asia Society (2010), “Current Realities and Future Possibilities in Myanmar/Burma: Options for US
Policy”, Asia Society Task Force Report.
Aung Kyaw (2008), “Financing SMEs in Myanmar”, IDE Discussion Paper 148.
Chaturvedi, M. (2013), “Myanmar’s Ethnic Divide: The Parallel Struggle”, Institute of Peace and
Conflict Studies.
Duflos, E., Luchtenburg, P., Li Ren, Li Yan Chen (2013), “Microfinance in Myanmar Sector
Assessment”, CGAP and International Finance Corporation.
Economist Intelligence Unit (2012), “Myanmar, White Elephant or NewTiger Economy”.

45
Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC
(2012), “Myanmar International Cooperation”.
Germanwatch (2013), “Global Climate Change Risk Index 2013”.
Gupta, S. (2010), “Is Burma truly as economically misgoverned as is made out to be?”, Samuels
International.
Kan Zaw (2008), “Challenges Challenges, Prospects and Strategies for CLMV: The Case of
Myanmar”.
Khin Maung Than, Htwe Htwe Win (2007), “Country Report – Union of Myanmar”.
McKinsey Global Institute (2013), “Myanmar’s Moment: Unique Opportunities, Major Challenges”.
Ministry of Industry, Directorate of Industries Supervision and Inspection (2011 and 2012), SMI
Statistics.
Ministry of Industry (2013), “Central Department of SMEs Development”, (brochure).
Ministry of National Planning and Economic Development, SIDA, UNICEF and UNDP (2011),
“Integrated Household Living Conditions Survey in Myanmar (2009-2010)”.
Ministry of National Planning and Economic Development, SIDA, UNICEF and UNDP (2011a),
“Poverty Analysis; Summary”.
Ministry of Hotels and Tourism (2012). Myanmar Tourism Statistics 2012.
Republic of the Union of Myanmar President Office (2013), “Formation of Central Committee and
Work Committee for Development of Small and Medium Enterprises”, Notification No. 11/2013.
Thein Thein Oo (2013), “SME Conditions and Framework for SME Development” Ministry of
Industry.
United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) (2012), “UNDP Formative Strategic Review of
Microfinance Investments in Myanmar: Issues and Recommendations for the Future”.
United Nations Development Programme(2013), “Human Development Report 2013 - The Rise of
the South: Human Progress in a Diverse World; Explanatory note on 2013 HDR composite indices
Myanmar”.
United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) UNHABITAT, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign
Affairs (no year), “Guidance Note on Land Issues; Myanmar”.
United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) (2013), Myanmar fact sheet.
United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) (2012), “Tourism Highlights”.
United States Agency for International Development (USAID) (no date), Country Fact Sheet.
Wai Lwin Than (2012), “Partnering for success in Asia and Africa : Overview on SMEs in Myanmar”.
World Travel & Tourism Council (2013), “Travel and Tourism; Economic Impact 2013, Myanmar”.
Ye Aung, Khin Cho Oo (2011), “Small and Medium Enterprises in Myanmar”, Ministry of Finance
and Revenue.

46