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Lao Overseas Workers Send Home USD 29 Million in First Half of 2025

This Week

Lao nationals working overseas remitted more than USD 29 million in the first half of 2025, according to the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare (MoLSW)

Souliya Khamvongsa, Deputy Director General of the ministry’s Department of Labour Protection, presented the figures on 29 August at the National Tripartite Preparatory Workshop for the 18th ASEAN Forum on Migrant Labour (AFML). 

National Tripartite Preparatory Workshop for the 18th ASEAN Forum on Migrant Labour (AFML). 29 August 2025. (Photo credit: Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare)

He noted that most of the funds were sent to parents and other relatives in Laos.

In the first three months of 2025 alone, over 76,000 Lao workers went abroad for employment. 

From 2021 to August 2025, more than 350,000 Lao nationals have sought work overseas, particularly in Thailand, South Korea, and Japan, according to MoLSW.

Labour migration has accelerated in recent years. In mid-2024, Laos faced a deepening domestic labour shortage, driven by high inflation, averaging 23 percent that year, and wages too low to cover living costs

As a result, more than 415,000 people left the country in search of better opportunities abroad.

The 18th AFML will take place on 9-10 September in Malaysia under the theme “Accelerating Actions Towards Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on Safe Migration and Decent Work for Migrant Workers in ASEAN.” 

The forum will address recruitment challenges, remittance costs, and the promotion of safe and decent

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