Migrant wave tipped to ease labour pains

The Thai construction sector is facing a labour shortage that is expected to worsen in the second half when the government is due to accelerate construction of large infrastructure projects, according to the Industry Ministry’s Construction Institute.

The institute is seeking government help to tackle the issue by easing regulations on migrant workers.

Executive director Chakporn Oonjit said the number of labourers working in the Thai construction sector fell to 2.1 million in the first half of the year from 2.4 million the year before.

The drop was largely due to construction workers switching to farm and industrial jobs that pay higher wages for less strenuous work.

Demand in the construction sector is expected to rise to 2.5 million workers by the second half, when megaprojects are scheduled to start.

“The institute expects that the construction sector would need to import up to 100,000 workers from neighbouring countries such as Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam,” he said.

Vietnamese workers are likely to make up the bulk of any guest-worker wave.

Mr Chakporn said the Thai construction industry and a Vietnamese labour group have had a memorandum of understanding in place for a few years concerning the entry of more workers into Thailand.

But last year’s coup, followed by tighter surveillance on migrant workers because of security issues, postponed a plan to bring in more Vietnamese workers.

“We are about to ask the Thai government to revive this plan in order to import 30,000-40,000 Vietnamese workers and prevent a potential labour shortage,” Mr Chakporn said.

The investment value of construction business in Thailand is expected to grow by roughly 10% from 1.03 trillion baht in 2014, he said.

The construction industry is also urging the government to set up a neutral nongovernmental organisation such as a construction council that would match construction companies with constructionrelated business.

Mr Chakporn said the construction council would follow a similar design to the Thai Chamber of Commerce, making it easier to voice concerns and problems to the government.