VIENTIANE: Lao migrant workers sent home an estimated 500 million U.S. dollars in the first seven months of 2026, up 36.6 percent from 366 million dollars during the same period last year, according to the Lao Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare.
The ministry also reported continued growth in labor migration, with 350,567 Lao nationals working abroad between 2021 and 2025. By September 2026, a further 112,436 Lao workers had taken jobs overseas, according to Lao Economic Daily on Thursday.
The figures were presented on Tuesday at a meeting of the Steering Committee for the "TRIANGLE in ASEAN" project, which promotes partnerships for fair and effective labor migration across ASEAN.
Laos is strengthening measures to protect migrant workers and promote safe and legal employment abroad as the next phase of the TRIANGLE project gets underway in eight countries.
The 2026-2031 phase covers Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand and Timor-Leste. Building on lessons from the 2015-2025 phase, the project aims to promote safer migration, improve working conditions, strengthen skills and enhance protection for migrant workers. - Xinhua
