Thailand Has World's Lowest Unemployment Rate

[george]

Thailand Has World's Lowest Unemployment Rate: Survey

Thailand has the lowest unemployment rate in the world and South Africa the highest, Germany's Federal Statistics Office said Thursday, quoting data from the International Labour Organization (ILO).

Unemployment in Thailand was pegged at 1.9 per cent in 2005, according to comparative data from 43 countries collated by the ILO, the German office said.

The Thais were followed by South Korea and New Zealand, which both had a jobless rate of 3.7 per cent, according to the survey.

Ireland and Switzerland had the lowest unemployment rate in Europe at 4.4 per cent each, while Poland had the highest at 17.7 per cent. Germany's unemployment rate of 9.1 per cent placed it in 32nd place among the countries surveyed.

Bottom of the list was South Africa with an unemployment rate of 26.6 per cent.

The ILO classes unemployed people as those of working age who do not have paid employment or who are self-employed even though they actively seek work.

-- Agencies/DPA 2006-12-07

[tso310]

Thailand, the hub of full employment.

[DragonLad]

Bottom of the list was South Africa with an unemployment rate of 26.6 per cent.

Well how could you work in that heat!!!!

Edited December 7, 2006 by DragonLad

[swain]

Thailand Has World's Lowest Unemployment Rate: Survey

Thailand has the lowest unemployment rate in the world and South Africa the highest, Germany's Federal Statistics Office said Thursday, quoting data from the International Labour Organization (ILO).

Unemployment in Thailand was pegged at 1.9 per cent in 2005, according to comparative data from 43 countries collated by the ILO, the German office said.

The Thais were followed by South Korea and New Zealand, which both had a jobless rate of 3.7 per cent, according to the survey.

Ireland and Switzerland had the lowest unemployment rate in Europe at 4.4 per cent each, while Poland had the highest at 17.7 per cent. Germany's unemployment rate of 9.1 per cent placed it in 32nd place among the countries surveyed.

Bottom of the list was South Africa with an unemployment rate of 26.6 per cent.

The ILO classes unemployed people as those of working age who do not have paid employment or who are self-employed even though they actively seek work.

-- Agencies/DPA 2006-12-07

It is very strange ... very... I mean... with all the benefits they have in Thailand. Social security, food stamps, unemployment ... you would think someone would be milking the system.

[mittheimp]

Thailand Has World's Lowest Unemployment Rate: Survey

Thailand has the lowest unemployment rate in the world and South Africa the highest, Germany's Federal Statistics Office said Thursday, quoting data from the International Labour Organization (ILO).

Unemployment in Thailand was pegged at 1.9 per cent in 2005, according to comparative data from 43 countries collated by the ILO, the German office said.

The Thais were followed by South Korea and New Zealand, which both had a jobless rate of 3.7 per cent, according to the survey.

Ireland and Switzerland had the lowest unemployment rate in Europe at 4.4 per cent each, while Poland had the highest at 17.7 per cent. Germany's unemployment rate of 9.1 per cent placed it in 32nd place among the countries surveyed.

Bottom of the list was South Africa with an unemployment rate of 26.6 per cent.

The ILO classes unemployed people as those of working age who do not have paid employment or who are self-employed even though they actively seek work.

-- Agencies/DPA 2006-12-07

Sounds likely!!

[lampard10]

Can't think what all the women are employed at.

[chonabot]

Bottom of the list was South Africa with an unemployment rate of 26.6 per cent.

Well how could you work in that heat!!!!

I've lived in both places.

Thailand is a lot hotter and the people [ Thai Males] are a lot lazier.

So in a way, your argument is proven!

[PhilHarries]

Thailand Has World's Lowest Unemployment Rate: Survey

Bottom of the list was South Africa with an unemployment rate of 26.6 per cent.

The ILO classes unemployed people as those of working age who do not have paid employment or who are self-employed even though they actively seek work.

-- Agencies/DPA 2006-12-07

And that 26.6% are blacks and doesn't include the 100% of white Afrikaaners who have never done a stroke of work in their lives.

btw how can a person be classed as unemployed if they are self employed "even though they actively seek work"? Is this a fancy way of saying the "black" economy?

[Chang_paarp]

I wonder what they define as employment.

In Oz the government defines employed as having worked one day in the month the statistics are taken. As a result you can be receiving full unemployment benefits and still not be classed a unemployed.

[falux]

When I see Thais sleeping on whatever spot they found, I do not consider them working. But the stats do, so, ok, fine.

[falux]

Re my last post, I'm talking about male Thais. I find many female Thais to be working really hard, and I'm not talking about nightlife here.

[astral]

Unemployment in Thailand was pegged at 1.9 per cent in 2005...........

Where do people register to be considered unemployed and collect "the dole"?

There isn't any such system in Thailand.

How can the figures be pegged?

Unemployment floats up and down, often seasonally.

To me the word pegged implies "set at an artificial level"

the way the baht has been pegged to the US$ for many years.........

Mind you that peg is pretty shakey these days.

[girlx]

thai men being lazy is a stereotype. while probably a good percentage of them are, most of them where i live work really hard. it would be unfair to them to make such assumptions.

it makes sense that thais have low unemployment when anyone at any time can throw up a little table and start selling somtam or fruit.

[Scott]

And who keeps track of the statistics? I am not aware of an employment office here.

[djinn]

Unemployment in Thailand was pegged at 1.9 per cent in 2005...........

Where do people register to be considered unemployed and collect "the dole"?

There isn't any such system in Thailand.

How can the figures be pegged?

Unemployment floats up and down, often seasonally.

To me the word pegged implies "set at an artificial level"

the way the baht has been pegged to the US$ for many years.........

Mind you that peg is pretty shakey these days.

Statistics have not a lot of meaning.Go only look in any Issaan village.No job exept in farming activities periods

[MiG16]

the way the baht has been pegged to the US$ for many years.........

Mind you that peg is pretty shakey these days.

ermm you are just pulling ppl's legs arent you? cos as far as I remember that 'peg' came CRASHING down since 1997.

and yes the labour department has local offices in all provinces, so I imagine they are doing some kind of record keeping....not saying how accurate they are or not...but they do exist

besides...with a lot of people in agriculture upcountry..this means they are employed..but not necessarily at a level that can maintain their livelihood properly. so employment is not the tell all figure that can be taken at face value I guess..

[OlRedEyes]

Thailand Has World's Lowest Unemployment Rate: Survey

Bottom of the list was South Africa with an unemployment rate of 26.6 per cent.

The ILO classes unemployed people as those of working age who do not have paid employment or who are self-employed even though they actively seek work.

-- Agencies/DPA 2006-12-07

And that 26.6% are blacks and doesn't include the 100% of white Afrikaaners who have never done a stroke of work in their lives.

btw how can a person be classed as unemployed if they are self employed "even though they actively seek work"? Is this a fancy way of saying the "black" economy?

Ignorance, they say, is bliss.

You haven't a clue what you're talking about, judged by your post. And your statement is absolutely racist. Lets hope it doesn't reflect your true IQ. Sadly I think it does.

Edited December 8, 2006 by OlRedEyes

[pap]

With such low unemployment rates there will be huge pressure on wages to go up.

[PeaceBlondie]

In some developed countries, a figure as low as 1.9% of the available labor force, being unemployed, would be considered an extreme case of full employment, with serious labor shortages in certain skilled fields.

I think we're all taking this Thai 1.9% figure with several grains of salt.

In America, the labor force is defined as all those who work, or who are SEEKING work that month. People who could work, but who don't even say they're looking for work, don't count. And the semi-employed and the underemployed count as workers who are employed.

I'm curious to ask other questions or jump to conclusions, but I don't know enough about Thai labor market to even guess.

[sfokevin]

What South Africa needs is more parking ramps... Thailand has perfected the fully employed parking lot:

Salute Guy

Look for bomb (two guys)

Ticket Guy

Reverse whistle guy (one for each floor)

Return - review ticket guy

Departing salute guy

Edited December 8, 2006 by sfokevin

[Cyberstar]

Probably the 1.9% reflects how many is officially registered as unemployed - not the many who have been granted 1 meter of sidewalk where they sit all day trying to make a few bahts on selling petty pieces of handicraft. I my home-country they'd not been granted a place on the sidewalk - they'd bee on the dole. In Thailand they are independent bussness-people.

[Thaddeus]

All the chaps around here that don't have what could be regarded as a job, do in fact roll their own cigarettes.... therefore, working.

[kmart]

What South Africa needs is more parking ramps... Thailand has perfected the fully employed parking lot with an ARMY of staff:

Salute Guy

Look for bomb (two guys)

Ticket Guy

Reverse whistle guy (one for each floor)

Return - review ticket guy

Departing salute guy

Thai companies certainly have an abundance of staff! Any Western "time & motion" pencil neck who surveyed a company here, would have a fit.

Does growing a long fingernail constitute an occupation?

Edited December 8, 2006 by kmart

[Spenthouse]

Does growing a long fingernail constitute an occupation?

i dunno, but watching it grow sure requires a work permit

[ColPyat]

Where do people register to be considered unemployed and collect "the dole"?

There isn't any such system in Thailand.

Labors with contract do have a right for certain rights, such as getting 6 months salary as compensation in case of unemploeyment.

I don't think though that unemployment in Thailand and developed countries can be compared. For one, it's a question of counting. Large sectors of the Thai labor force have never been counted as they do not fulfill the minimum requirements to get a job with contracts. You see always openings in industrial estates for employment, but they have certain minimum requirements.

I think 49% of Thais are directly depending on agriculture, and only the smallest amount of these sectors are in what you would call employed, or self emploeyd with social security. Many are small scale farmers without sufficient income and/or seasonal laborers.

Huge sectors of the society here are "employed" in the shadow economy, and there hardly any statistics are possible.

Even in the west are certain problems with official unemployment rates, espcially who is getting counted in and who not. In countries such as Thailand the official unemployment rate has no relation to the condition of the economy, or public wealth/poverty, and should be seen just as a number without any relevance whatsoever.

[bina]

just jto clue u all in

when anon came back to israel to work, he had to go to the labour office of his amphur and report that he was going back to israel to work...

since we have close to 70 000 legal thai workers and many thousands more illegal here in israel, i suspect that some of 'work' could be stats counting thai working in foreign lands whose salaries get sent back to thailand monthly to support family...

just a thought for finagleing stats

also, is farmer counted as employment.. even if there is no work during the rainy season for instance they are still 'employed' as farmer, just not actively cutting rice or something...or did someone mention this already.

[Buckwheat]

"If you ever get annoyed, look at me I'm self-employed

I love to work at nothing all day"

Courtesy BTO

[Sing_Sling]

Probably the 1.9% reflects how many is officially registered as unemployed - not the many who have been granted 1 meter of sidewalk where they sit all day trying to make a few bahts on selling petty pieces of handicraft. I my home-country they'd not been granted a place on the sidewalk - they'd bee on the dole. In Thailand they are independent bussness-people.

Entrepreneurs even . . . social climbing potential hi-so material.

[basjke]

do they count the pool players also with the employed ones?

[jumnien]

Anywhere in the world statistics should be taken with a grain of salt. In Thailand, statistics in the Bangkok Post or Nation should be used for amusement purposes exclusively.