Must a job description be in writing in Myanmar?
Yes — in effect. ESDL 2013 requires the appointment letter to state the job title and description, so the role description must be captured in writing. A structured job description (responsibilities, reporting line, KPIs, working hours, location) attached to or embedded in the appointment letter is best practice and reduces dispute risk at termination.
What Myanmar law and practice say
The Employment & Skills Development Law (ESDL) 2013 makes job title and description mandatory clauses of the written appointment letter. While the law does not prescribe a specific format, it does require the description to identify the role — enough to make sense of any later question about scope creep, performance, or discipline. In practice, employers attach a structured job description (JD) to the appointment letter or embed it directly.
Two reasons make a written JD non-negotiable. First, Notification 84/2015 termination grounds (capacity, conduct, redundancy) all reference the role's duties — without a written JD, the employer cannot show what the duties were. Second, the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Law 2019 expects role-relevant safety duties to be communicated, which is impossible without a written description.
What a Myanmar job description should contain
| Section | Required? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Job title | Yes (ESDL) | Match the appointment letter |
| Reporting line | Best practice | Named manager / role |
| Purpose of the role | Best practice | 2–3 sentence summary |
| Key responsibilities | Yes (ESDL) | Bulleted list, action verbs |
| Performance KPIs | Best practice | Outcome-based |
| Working hours and days off | Yes (ESDL) | Sync with appointment letter |
| Place of work | Yes (ESDL) | City + office address |
| Required qualifications and experience | Best practice | Avoid discrimination grounds |
| Safety / OSH duties | Yes for safety-sensitive | OSH Law 2019 |
| Travel and on-call expectations | Best practice | Sets the consent floor |
Process and timeline
- Hiring manager drafts the JD before the requisition opens — Day -14.
- HR reviews JD for discrimination-grounds language and OSH duties — Day -10.
- JD published in the job ad and shared with shortlisted candidates.
- JD attached to the offer letter — Day 0.
- JD attached to or embedded in the ESDL appointment letter — within 30 days of start.
- JD reviewed at probation end and at the annual review.
Employer takeaway
Yes — capture the job description in writing and attach it to the ESDL appointment letter. Cover purpose, key responsibilities, KPIs, hours, location, qualifications, and safety duties. Refresh at probation end and on each material role change. Bilingual English + Burmese with Burmese prevailing on dispute. Retain in the personnel file at least 7 years post-exit.
Edge cases
- Material role change — issue a new appointment letter or written variation; do not rely on email (see appointment letter).
- Multi-role hires — name the dominant role; describe the secondary scope under "additional duties".
- Project-based roles — anchor the JD to a project scope plus expected duration.
- Foreign-national hires — JD informs the work permit application; consistency matters.
Common hiring mistakes
- Issuing an appointment letter with a vague one-line job description.
- Forgetting OSH duties in safety-sensitive roles.
- Letting the JD drift from the appointment letter at the annual review.
- Including discrimination-grounds language in qualifications (see discrimination grounds).
- Employment & Skills Development Law (ESDL) 2013 — appointment letter must state job title and description
- Notification 84/2015 — termination grounds reference job duties
- OSH Law 2019 — role-relevant safety duties
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