What's your happiness in Thailand?

 

Some people in Thailand might believe that happiness comes from finding Western food in their rural Issan town. For others, it's the aromatic sweet smell of the daily 6pm street side potpourri of leaves and 7-Eleven bags/straws/wrappers being burned in a gutter. *sarcasm* For others, happiness is the complete absence of law enforcement. Being able to drive your car or motobike at 160kmh without insurance or legal consequence (besides the occasional speed cam) is a reckless adrenaline rush for those living outside of policed expat/tourist cities. 

 

Thailand usually ends up as the butt of most all headlines, so I thought I would share something positive about the land of fake smiles. From an economic perspective, however, there's nothing fake about the smiles here. Life is good because, economically speaking, happiness may be more linked to quantitative factors such as inflation, lending rates, employment levels, and growth in gross domestic product (GDP).

 

Thailand is the place to be and here's why: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/the-most-miserable-countries-in-the-world/

 

I was feeling miserable till I read this!

 

That's probably because they've started asking both the men and women what they think.

 

 

Make America Grate Again!

 

 

.

Edited October 8, 20196 yr by Stocky

2 hours ago, LetsCleanUpTHAILAND said:

From an economic perspective, however, there's nothing fake about the smiles here. Life is good because, economically speaking, happiness may be more linked to quantitative factors such as inflation, lending rates, employment levels, and growth in gross domestic product (GDP).

Not sure how much of a <deleted> take your post is............Yes that is how they have based the results with an arbitrary weighting of those variables.

Everything else I read suggests that economically many Thais (lower income) are struggling and talking to a few small business owners recently they are definitely not happy.

3 minutes ago, topt said:

Everything else I read suggests that economically many Thais (lower income) are struggling and talking to a few small business owners recently they are definitely not happy.

Actually this is a purely statistics based ranking, it doesn't take into account what the population thinks at all.

 

(Inflation + Bank Lending Rate + Unemployment) - % Change in GDP = Happiness/Misery 

 

Unemployment is low because most Thais are working hard to pay off the local loan shark, whose lending rate is significantly different to the bank one.

55 minutes ago, Stocky said:

Actually this is a purely statistics based ranking, it doesn't take into account what the population thinks at all.

I think that is what I was saying.....

 

55 minutes ago, Stocky said:

Unemployment is low because most Thais are working hard to pay off the local loan shark, whose lending rate is significantly different to the bank one.

Can you tel me how Thailand actually measures that rate anyway - it's not as if they can register for unemployment benefit 

2 minutes ago, topt said:

Can you tel me how Thailand actually measures that rate anyway

I can only guess they survey so many households, and ask if anyone eligible for work is actually looking for work. As you say there is no unemployment register, because there is no unemployment benefit, or government programme to place people in work. That it is a based on a survey raises a whole heap of other questions, who and how many they actually survey, and what question they ask, being the most significant.

 

 

22 hours ago, topt said:

Not sure how much of a <deleted> take your post is............Yes that is how they have based the results with an arbitrary weighting of those variables.

Everything else I read suggests that economically many Thais (lower income) are struggling and talking to a few small business owners recently they are definitely not happy.

It's not perfect, but at least Thais can start a business anywhere without much bureaucracy or taxation (although that's come to an end in the greater Bangkok area). You are correct, there are many variables to consider! I just saw this in my email and I thought I would share. Thank you for commenting!  

21 hours ago, topt said:

I think that is what I was saying.....

 

Can you tel me how Thailand actually measures that rate anyway - it's not as if they can register for unemployment benefit 

No need for unemployment when you can dumpster dive and sell on the street from what you find. Welfare is hidden in every bin.. many treasures for any humble entrepreneur to take advantage of. Try laying down a tarp on a street in the West! haha No can do, Amigo!  

21 hours ago, Stocky said:

I can only guess they survey so many households, and ask if anyone eligible for work is actually looking for work. As you say there is no unemployment register, because there is no unemployment benefit, or government programme to place people in work. That it is a based on a survey raises a whole heap of other questions, who and how many they actually survey, and what question they ask, being the most significant.

 

 

I didn't know about this! That sucks. Thank you for sharing. Poor Thai folks.  

no ….  this cannot be correct   !   the TV farang keep telling us it's no good and everything here is bad.  ????

The TV farang keep telling us the economy is down, corruption is rife, traffic is no good, RTP do nothing and so on ….. all complain ….complain ….  complain ….

 

so this cannot be correct news ….  it must be fake   !!  lol

My view....they lack any understanding of consequences. Live for today. No idea of simple finances, budgets, economics and so gullible.

The surging baht will decrease gdp and when interest rates do rise, like everywhere, debt bomb will do an almighty reset. 

Read the Headline only and immediately said to myself...."You wouln't say that if you seen the two young ladies from whom I buy my coffee every morning, they look at me as if they want to hit me for disrupting them from playing on their phones".

Wow! Thailand and China better than Switzerland. This statistic is not applicable for third world countries as they have no social net and the GDP growth is higher, but very low per capita.
Switzerland has with 8.5m inhabitants a higher GDP as TH with 66m. Who is more miserable?


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

I wonder what place it will be this year?

3 hours ago, LetsCleanUpTHAILAND said:

No need for unemployment when you can dumpster dive and sell on the street from what you find. Welfare is hidden in every bin.. many treasures for any humble entrepreneur to take advantage of. Try laying down a tarp on a street in the West! haha No can do, Amigo!  

I knew a family that were millionaires from their Grandpa that collected junk in the late 40s.

 

 

On 10/8/2019 at 10:57 AM, Stocky said:

Make America Grate Again!

What? On your nerves!   LOL

China ranks 5th in this chart, that alone should tell us how credible this chart is. Qatar is is in Top20, while Spain is near bottom.

Im curious... How does thailand know the figures on who is employed and who isn't? Im sure they dont have all the numbers. Same goes for most things i assume.

Thais are miserable and im miserable here!!????

12 minutes ago, unamazedloso said:

Im curious... How does thailand know the figures on who is employed and who isn't? Im sure they dont have all the numbers. Same goes for most things i assume.

Thais are miserable and im miserable here!!????

 

Everyone is assumed to be employed unless they have paid the 100,000 baht registration fee (in person) that allows them to be classified as unemployed.

 

There is only one registration office, at the end of a long road, through a dark forest, atop a high mountain. 

 

It's a very quiet place.

 

 

 

 

LOL.

What a load of rubbish. The unemployment rate in Thailand is so remarkably low because the 10 or 20 million unemployed or UNDERemployed Thais have no idea that there is in fact an unemployment registration & benefit, but of course not advertized and almost certainly in any case so low as to not be worth getting out of bed for ...

 

Anyone who visits a rural village can stand on the side of the road and point out 20 or 50 young & older adults with nothing to do except sit around all day, gossiping & horsing around & looking lost.

 

Low productivity is the name of the game. Keep the poor poor and you have an endless queue of cheap labour.

Edited October 9, 20196 yr by mfd101

I needed something like that to make my day,  because after speaking with my Thai neighbor and hearing him complaining about his miserable life I felt really bad

3 hours ago, Knocker33 said:

I wonder what place it will be this year?

This year is 2019, and so is the index for...????

10% of the population must be employed at Home Pro.

I actually started counting and stopped at 150 and that was about half the store.

Walked thru today 10 employees on every aisle following me and looking over my shoulder.

So annoying I left.

This is the most over employed waste of staff country I have ever seen not sure what the point is.

3 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

10% of the population must be employed at Home Pro.

I actually started counting and stopped at 150 and that was about half the store.

Walked thru today 10 employees on every aisle following me and looking over my shoulder.

So annoying I left.

This is the most over employed waste of staff country I have ever seen not sure what the point is.

Owners of such shops get tax discounts for having a big staff.

but I agree it’s annoying.. better have 15 good store workers knowledgeable and English skills then 200 untrained bored folks just there watching paint to dry.

I can't believe that Singapore is 84th, I don't mean to criticize because it's very nice, great transportation system, great food and amenities. But, my wife and I went there on a short vacation, she worked there for 5 years so she knows her way around. During our third day I just had to ask her, "does anyone ever smile here"? For a country that ranks so highly in the least miserable category, people don't seem too happy.

I believe Vanuatu is where the most happy people in the world live.

I have been there and I have to agree ….. 

Arrange with the guy views ... population 2 times that of canada with 4 times LESS GDP  ?

How do they make this chart? Not trustworthy at all. China number 5 ? Come on.