Thailand looks abroad to fix labour crisis

Thailand plans to sign a memorandum of understanding with Vietnam, Bhutan and Bangladesh to recruit migrant workers for job vacancies in several industries, Labour Minister Surasak Karnjanarat said yesterday.

Gen Surasak said ministry officials are working with the three countries to recruit workers to work in Thailand to help solve its labour shortages.

He said that under the negotiations, about 50,000 Bangladeshi workers would be registered to work in the fishing industry and construction sites in Thailand.

About 20,000 foreign workers from Bhutan would be registered to work as accountants and about 160 as foreign language teachers, he added.

The number of Vietnamese workers required, and for what jobs, is still under discussion.

Bhutan workers would work in Thailand for one or two years to gain experience in a foreign country and so they would not compete with Thai labour to acquire jobs in the future, Gen Surasak said.

He insisted foreign workers would not undermine the Thai labour market as they would return to their home countries after their employment agreements end.

Gen Surasak said ministry officials will hold talks with representatives from industry and business operators to discuss what kinds of skilled workers they want.

“We will ensure that any recruitments which are made will not affect Thai workers,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Labour Ministry had urged military officers to look into the problem of migrant workers who enter the country illegally.

A meeting between the National Council for Peace and Order and army chiefs recently discussed the matter, Gen Surasak said.

The minister said the ministry had sought assistance from the military to oversee the work of migrant workers in specific areas such as factories in special economic zones.