THE Shwe Padauk Fish Market in Yangon’s Hline Township has become a vital economic engine, generating over 3,000 daily employment opportunities.
The market serves as a major distribution hub for freshwater seafood arriving via Bayintnaung Road and the Hline River. These products are distributed to various townships across Yangon, a massive logistical operation that relies heavily on manual labour. Every day, workers from surrounding townships, including Hline, Kyimyindine, Dala, Twantay, Insein, Hlinethaya, and Shwepyitha, converge on the market to handle loading, unloading, freezing, packing, transport, and trading activities.
“A single fish wholesale centre requires at least five to eight workers to operate efficiently,” explained U Aye Ko, Vice-Chairman of the Shwe Padauk Market Development Committee. “A standard centre typically employs a mix of labourers, brokers, and clerks. For business owners managing up to ten centres, the required workforce scales up significantly.”
U Aye Ko emphasized the deeply intertwined relationship between market owners and their labourers. “Owners and workers are mutually dependent. When sales thrive, workers earn more; during market slowdowns, their incomes dip. Recognizing this, owners prioritize worker retention and livelihood security. Maintaining mutual understanding and supporting the families of our workforce is always our main concern, especially during labour shortages. On any given day, between 2,000 and 3,000 workers are actively engaged here.”
Spanning over eight acres, the sprawling commercial facility features seven buildings with 432 shops, and dedicated freezing facilities. With each of the hundreds of wholesale stalls employing five to eight people, the market consistently sustains between 2,160 and 3,456 jobs daily.
Daily wages fluctuate based on the volume of fishery products arriving at the market. Labourers are paid a piece rate of K15 per viss. For instance, if a centre processes 5,000 visses of fish in a day, an individual worker can take home around K15,000. Standard daily earnings for market labourers typically range from K15,000 to K25,000, while specialized positions like brokers and clerks command higher fixed salaries. — Thitsa
