(Photo by Alex OGLE / AFP)

 

By Thai PBS World’s Business Desk

 

Dissatisfaction with politics may be the main reason Thais are joining the campaign to “migrate to another country”, but dismay at Thailand’s economy can’t be far behind.

 

Under the impact of COVID-19 the economy shrank 6.1 per cent last year, with predictions for this year now sinking below 2 per cent growth amid a surge of new infections.

 

Millions of workers have lost their jobs or had working hours cut, resulting in lower incomes, while new graduates are finding it harder to get employment.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/some-advice-for-thais-looking-to-migrate-to-another-country/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2021-05-10

 

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8 minutes ago, webfact said:

Under the impact of COVID-19 the economy shrank 6.1 per cent last year, with predictions for this year now sinking below 2 per cent growth amid a surge of new infections.

I still predict zero for this year. Sad thing about it is that the recovery bounce back to normal will mean double digit recoveries for 2023/24 which the PM will latch onto as evidence of magnificent growth for a later election.

 

Don't do it...you'll be shocked how expensive Thai food is.

2 minutes ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

Don't do it...you'll be shocked how expensive Thai food is.

And how bad it tastes... 

It's understandable that regular (non-privileged) Thais want to leave the country. If it wasn't for their strong family ties, a lot more of them would try to leave.

 

Pretty much everything that makes Thailand attractive to me as a foreigner is unaffordable or unobtainable for a Thai with average income.

Troll post and reply removed

Will be interesting to see how these economic refugees react when they're charged 10 euros for a lousy-tasting plate of khao pat.

Edited May 10, 20215 yr by Misterwhisper

I have a Thai friend who is bordering on being a genius. He got sponsored to visit Australia and New Zealand when he was about 20. 

 

He hated it. Tasteless food, boring streets, rediculous prices and he found most of the beer swilling, drug snorting, swearing, loud, beefy, sweaty women quite offensive and masculine.

 

But the worst thing was the cold. In New Zealand he would just hide under his doonah all day, shivering.

 

A lot of Thais do go and live abroad, but once they see the reality of day to day life most of them want to return.

 

Hard to beat the lifestyle Thailand offers.

4 minutes ago, Misterwhisper said:

Will be interesting to see how these economic refugees react if they're charged 10 euros for a lousy-tasting plate of khao pat.

Well, if they're being paid 10 Euros per hour rather than per day, that might make a difference in what they can afford to pay.

5 minutes ago, RobMuir said:

A lot of Thais do go and live abroad, but once they see the reality of day to day life most of them want to return.

Looking forward to you sharing your source of information for this.

18 minutes ago, RobMuir said:

and he found most of the beer swilling, drug snorting, swearing, loud, beefy, sweaty women quite offensive and masculine.

 

Sounds like Nana.

The answer to whether a young Thai person should move abroad isn't uniform. Depends on their personality, their individual skill sets, and how their intended location meshes with those two things.

 

Cultures and environments in other countries (esp Western ones) can be radically different than here. It's not hard to imagine a Thai person (or any immigrant) not adapting well and preferring to return to their home country. Not sure how anyone can believe that materially all immigrants settle well and inherently prefer their new country to their old one to the point where they'd never consider returning.

 

Imo those that would benefit most from moving (assuming no support from a spouse or whatever) are those with in-demand skills who would be able to benefit from the structurally higher pay (above cost of living) for those skills in certain other countries. Think folks like young software engineers or data scientists. Maybe nurses also.

 

But for someone doing a basic job and living month-to-month with no ability to save/build wealth, is life really better in <other country> than here? It's debatable at best.

3 hours ago, RotBenz8888 said:

And how bad it tastes... 

For me it tastes bad no matter where I try it.

In my professional life, among my other responsibilities, I was responsible for moving our high performers to overseas postings for professional development.  Most positions were in the USA and Europe.  The geographic area was Asia-Pacific.  Lots of people and lots of countries.  Without a doubt, the Thais adapted poorly and were desperate to return home after 12 months .... as compared to other nationalities.  Sure, they all came from monied families but that was the same with all of the people we sent overseas.  My bet is many of the Thais that end up leaving for overseas will be back in short order.  I tried to get my wife to try living back in my home country ... she genuinely hated it.  Had to return to Thailand after 9 months.  It’s not just the food and the expense that is off putting for Thais it’s things as basic as social interactions, humor etc

1 minute ago, chilli42 said:

In my professional life, among my other responsibilities, I was responsible for moving our high performers to overseas postings for professional development.  Most positions were in the USA and Europe.  The geographic area was Asia-Pacific.  Lots of people and lots of countries.  Without a doubt, the Thais adapted poorly and were desperate to return home after 12 months .... as compared to other nationalities.  Sure, they all came from monied families but that was the same with all of the people we sent overseas.  My bet is many of the Thais that end up leaving for overseas will be back in short order.  I tried to get my wife to try living back in my home country ... she genuinely hated it.  Had to return to Thailand after 9 months.  It’s not just the food and the expense that is off putting for Thais it’s things as basic as social interactions, humor etc

I guess the disparity between different cultures has a lot of influence.........if I moved from the UK to the US, no great shakes.......if I moved from the UK to China......mmmmm?

3 minutes ago, chilli42 said:

t’s not just the food and the expense that is off putting for Thais it’s things as basic as social interactions, humor etc

 

Do you have any specific, more representative examples of this? Love to hear more.

1 hour ago, placeholder said:

Well, if they're being paid 10 Euros per hour rather than per day, that might make a difference in what they can afford to pay.

You surely mean 10 euros per hour -- minus substantial deductions for compulsory social security contributions, retirement fund, and income tax. 

18 minutes ago, Fromas said:

 

Do you have any specific, more representative examples of this? Love to hear more.

It’s a bit to involved a topic for a forum like this.  Anecdotally, Thai’s mistook American friendliness as insincere ... they said we should have lunch some time but never invited me.  As another example, my wife (who was 45 at the time we tried to live in Canada - and completely English fluent) found most Canadian women her age nice but insufferably boring and humorless.  I am not judging, just a couple of examples.

 

I don’t see food as a big barrier.  In most large cities now you can secure all the authentic ingredients to make great Thai food at home.  Food was never mentioned by anyone as an issue/barrier.

I have had some of my Thai family members come to live in Canada, but in some cases, they were

not mentally prepared and got home sick, as they had no immediate family members with them.

One lasted 2 months, and one lasted 6 months.  So many Thais have never been away from family for long,

  and that is a huge factor anyone should consider before moving abroad.

Geezer

Kanitta Saejang, 30, went to Taiwan but with a name like Saejang she is Thai Chinese, so more like returning to the homeland.  Of course she would feel comfortable surrounded by Chinese culture.  Not exactly a great example of a Thai moving to a completely alien environment like the US or UK where they might be targeted by neo-nazi thugs.

1 hour ago, Misterwhisper said:

You surely mean 10 euros per hour -- minus substantial deductions for compulsory social security contributions, retirement fund, and income tax. 

Complaining about how the government works here , complaining about how thing work abroad . You should start your own country . I bet that will be a real !@#$ up waiting to happen . 

5 hours ago, placeholder said:

Looking forward to you sharing your source of information for this.

pantip.com

 

 

Just now, RobMuir said:

pantip.com

 

 

I'm guessing that's some sort of obscure joke you're making.

2 minutes ago, placeholder said:

I'm guessing that's some sort of obscure joke you're making.

No, why. 

You obviously didn't read it that quickly.

8 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

 

I like your metaphor: Thais moving abroad might lose their virginity...

6 hours ago, RobMuir said:

rediculous prices and he found most of the beer swilling, drug snorting, swearing, loud, beefy, sweaty women

Maybe he should have conditioned himself in Patpong, Nana Plaza or Soi Cowboy before embarking on his trip. Just a thought.

12 hours ago, RotBenz8888 said:

And how bad it tastes... 

Wow. You sure have been eating in the wrong places. I eat gorgeous Thai food daily. And my wife is a true gourmet chef. Thai food is one of the only cuisines in the world, that I can eat daily. 

 

I suggest you change things up. 

I sure get it. There is alot of disappointment and frustration with the extreme lack of leadership here. It does feel like Thailand has been moving backwards for years now. And is there an end in sight, for the regression? 

 

The only way forward is with the youth. They must figure out a way to rid the nation of the overly toxic dinosaurs. 

10 hours ago, Misterwhisper said:

Will be interesting to see how these economic refugees react when they're charged 10 euros for a lousy-tasting plate of khao pat.

They can enjoy their khow pad in their bed-sit on a rainy UK day month. ????