JOB STRESS AMONG GARMENT FACTORY WORKERS IN MYANMAR Prepared by Miss Soe Myat Yee Mon Thein Assoc. Prof. Surintorn Kalampakorn Asst.Prof. Jutatip Sillabutra Mahidol University Thailand

Introduction Nowadays, worldwide, working stress becomes a major challenge for the workers and organizational health (ILO 1986; 1992). Leading causes of death and disability such as heart disease and stroke are almost linked to stress. In developing countries, health impact of job stress becomes the one of the major problems. In South-east Asian countries, it has been observed that there are much increasing work related illness and accidents due to rapid industrialization. So, job-related stress became important factor for preventable health hazard.

Current problem of Myanmar Garment factories - the biggest manufacturing industry in Yangon where workers face labor right violation, long working hours, intimidation for join labor union, feeling of helplessness and poor working and living condition Mostly women face discrimination in fundamental rights, Freedom- neglected. Working environment is unsafe, hot, overcrowded, factories typically for around 11 hours per day, 6 days per week.

Research Objective To assess the prevalence of job stress among garment factory workers in Hlaing Thar Yar Industrial Zone, Yangon, Myanmar To determine the relationship between job stress and the personal factor including age, gender, education, marital status, number of children, monthly income, duration of work, job position, working section, working hours, personal illness or injury, life crisis, work-life conflict, life work conflict and supervisor support To determine the relationship between job stress and the organizational factors including physical environment, poor management and inflexible rules.

-Personal illness or injury -Life crisis -Work-life conflict Conceptual Framework Independent Variables Dependent Variable Personal Factors -Age -Gender -Education -Marital Status -Number of children -Job position -Duration of work -Monthly income -Working Section -Working Hours -Personal illness or injury -Life crisis -Work-life conflict -Life –work conflict -Supervisor support Job stress 1. Decision Latitude 2. Psychological Demands Organizational Factors -Physical environment -Poor management -Inflexible rules

Study Area Myanmar

Study Design & Study population Cross sectional study Study population-garment factory workers who are working in Hlaing Thar Yar Industrial Zone, Yangon, Myanmar

71 garment factories in Hlaing Tha Yar industrial Zone Sampling Procedure 71 garment factories in Hlaing Tha Yar industrial Zone Simple random sampling 7 garment factories Simple random sampling Factory I n=853 Factory II n=791 Factory III n=963 Factory IV n=779 Factory V n=600 Factory VI n=2010 Factory VII n= 1200 60 Subjects M-12 F-48 60 Subjects M-5 F-55 60 Subjects M-6 F-54 60 Subjects M-5 F-55 60 Subjects M-4 F-56 60 Subjects M-6 F-54 60 Subjects M-4 F-56

Research instrument 410 garment factory workers from the 7 factories, who have worked at least 6 months, were interviewed by using Job Content Questionnaires Psychological job demands and decision latitude were used to determine the job stress. Data analysis by using mean, median, SD and percentage Chi-square test and multiple logistic regressions were used to analyze the data collected and to produce the result of the study.

Personal factors among garment factory workers ( n=390) Age: 25-41 years (74.9%), Mean=27.6, SD=4.4 Gender: Female (89.2%) Education: Secondary (43.8%) Marital status: Married (49.5%) Children: Present (37.4%) : Two number of Children (17.2%) Job position: Operational workers (64.9%) Working Section: Sewing section (37.9)

Working hours (hrs/day): ≥11 hours (69%), Mean=11.1, SD=1.9 Duration of work: ≤ 5 year of working experience (66.7%) Mean=5.1, SD=3.1 Monthly Income (Kyats): ≥108,000 (96.2%) Personal Illness or injury: Present (95.1%) : Musculoskeletal disease (41.5%) Life Crisis: Present (92.8%) : Financial difficulties (82.1%)

Personal Factors Number Percent Supervisor support High 188 48.2 Low 202 51.8 Mean=9.9, SD=3.2, Min=18, Max=39 Work-Life Conflict 276 70.8 114 29.2 Mean=27.6, SD=5.4, Min=9, Max=34 Life-Work Conflict 131 33.6 low 259 66.4 Mean=11.2, SD=3.3, Min=6, Max=32 a≥Mean b<Mean

Organization FactorS among garment factory workers (N=390) Number Percent Physical Working Environment Poor (13-30) 306 78.5 Fair (31-41) 84 21.5 Poor Management Always 156 40.0 Often 149 38.2 Sometimes 85 21.8 Inflexible Rules 135 34.6 176 45.1 79 20.3

Prevalence of high job stress and low job stress among garment factory workers(n=390) Variables Number Percent High Strain 119 30.5 Non-High strain 271 69.5 1. Low strain 110 28.2 2. Active job 27 6.9 3. Passive job 134 34.4

Multiple Logistic regression Variables B S.E. Wald df Sig. Exp(B) 95% C.I.for EXP(B) Lower Upper Working hour 2.9 1.2 5.9 1 0.015 18.2 1.8 189.3 Supervisor support 0.6 0.3 5.4 0.020 1.1 Job position 2.427 1.087 4.988 0.026 11.3 1.3 95.3

Conclusion & Recommendation Workers with low supervisor support, with high position and those who worked less than 11 hours were likely to report job stress Factory owners should conduct health promotion activities and public health talks in the factory to reduce job stress Health education on job stress should be conducted to both employers and factory workers to prevent job stress related complicated factors and to increase advancement of health knowledge and competencies. libraries should be built to access health information to improve the health literacy level of employees to cope with job stress.

Self-centered stress management techniques and Job center stress management intervention Workplace social support should be conducted for ensuring the jobs more secure and health friendly working environment Health knowledge awareness should be raised to stakeholders Governments should provide workshops & health education sections corporating with MOH to employers

Recommendation for further study Further study should be conducted in other parts of the country In depth interview & focus group discussion needed to be conducted Both quantitative and qualitative measure should be conducted Further prospective studies, evidence based investigation and longitudinal studies should be carried out Culturally back translation of the questionnaires should be done Intervention program on comprehensive stress management strategy should be conducted to reduce occupational stress and to improve quality of life of factory workers Further studies should use other job stress model such as effort- reward imbalance model, job-person fit model to identify other important stressors

Thank You

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