Shortage of foreign workers in the construction industry threatens recovery

[webfact]

Picture: Manager

 

Manager reported that there was a shortage of up to half a million foreign migrant workers in the construction industry.

 

The lack of manpower is forcing projects to slow down or stop altogether and having a knock-on effect in other investment in other industries. 

 

The slowdown began in the first stages of the pandemic last year and has continued ever since. 

 

In the first quarter of this year 100,000 workers a month on average were not renewing work permits and going home.

 

Now unable to come back it is feared that even though construction sites are now allowed to open again following enforced closures at the start of this year's spike in infections there will be a shortfall in the labor force of 300,000 to 500,000 workers. 

 

The media said that the lack of manpower in particular - in an industry heavily reliant on foreign workers - was adding to the crisis in the sector. 

 

-- © Copyright  ASEAN NOW 2021-08-11

 

- Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you

- Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

[Gandtee]

What a surprise. Who would have thought it?????

[RotBenz8888]

4 minutes ago, webfact said:

lack of manpower

And the million(s?) unemployed Thais... nah, rather lay on the couch and play video games. 

[actonion]

The Thai research body  have posted  on here today a Million Thai's un employed, i wonder is that Million those who cant work,  dont want to work? or unable to find work... Yeah I've guessed it  

[Phuketshrew]

Not sure there will be a shortage of labour given the choice the Burmese have between brutal repression/rampant Covid In Myanmar and modern day slavery in Thailand. Yet the 'civilised' world observe and do nothing.

[trainman34014]

Can't have Thai 'Men' doing any work can we; might interupt their Yaba taking, Beer drinking, Smoking and kicking the Wife's Butt out to work !

[Gottfrid]

Easily fixed. Raise the minimum wages.

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

In the first quarter of this year 100,000 workers a month on average were not renewing work permits and going home.

After the way any migrant in most occupations were treated I'm sure when they decide to go back overseas to work it won't be here in Thailand.

[Scrotobike]

The headline states a shortage of migrant workers, not workers. Are there jobs reserved for migrant workers that Thais cannot do?

 

I knew some jobs were restricted to Thais, but I did not know of this "reverse" restriction or is the author just assuming the excess Thai labour will not do the work?

[jacko45k]

29 minutes ago, Scrotobike said:

Are there jobs reserved for migrant workers that Thais cannot do?

Empty the bins at night!

[itsari]

Shortage of workers does not surprise me . I have witnessed many males in Thailand refusing work which is not there usual occupation . Females i have seen are more ready to accept what ever is going .

[DonniePeverley]

Slave labour needs to stop. 

[robblok]

4 hours ago, RotBenz8888 said:

And the million(s?) unemployed Thais... nah, rather lay on the couch and play video games. 

Would you be willing to live in a shack get a low wage and do hard work ? I mean maybe they should raise the salary a bit and the workplace to lure in Thais. Seems to me they just want the " cheaper"  foreign workers then Thais. 

[EVENKEEL]

16 minutes ago, robblok said:

Would you be willing to live in a shack get a low wage and do hard work ? I mean maybe they should raise the salary a bit and the workplace to lure in Thais. Seems to me they just want the " cheaper"  foreign workers then Thais. 

Do hard manual labor? yeah done it for years. Was it good pay? Not really but it was the most I could make so I did the work. I don't think raising a day's wage by 50 tbh would do the trick. Guess it's possible the Thais are just getting lazy. It's the case in the US so why not here.

[itsari]

22 minutes ago, robblok said:

Would you be willing to live in a shack get a low wage and do hard work ? I mean maybe they should raise the salary a bit and the workplace to lure in Thais. Seems to me they just want the " cheaper"  foreign workers then Thais. 

They want workers that know what they are doing . Construction work takes many years to learn

[robblok]

1 minute ago, EVENKEEL said:

Do hard manual labor? yeah done it for years. Was it good pay? Not really but it was the most I could make so I did the work. I don't think raising a day's wage by 50 tbh would do the trick. Guess it's possible the Thais are just getting lazy. It's the case in the US so why not here.

Im pretty sure its not as low as what those workers make (I mean in comparison to cost of living). I am also pretty sure you did not have to live on site in a tin shack. I did hard labor too when young worked in tulips and so on but pay should be good or else you don't get people. The farmers that paid better got more people its that simple. 

 

I think the workers are being exploited a lot by these construction companies. Just my 2 cents but i get your view too. 

[johng]

36 minutes ago, robblok said:

Seems to me they just want the " cheaper"  foreign workers then Thais. 

Exactly that ,   they want  cheap labour to do very demanding  physically hard labour in poor conditions with minimal safety..I don't blame anyone who  turns down such work,  only those in desperate need would even consider it.

[BangkokReady]

4 hours ago, Phuketshrew said:

Yet the 'civilised' world observe and do nothing.

What are they going to do?  The whole globalised economic model revolves around poor people working for little money.

[johng]

4 minutes ago, BangkokReady said:

What are they going to do?

How about this   Agenda 2030

 

"Welcome To 2030: I Own Nothing, Have No Privacy And Life Has Never Been Better"

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/worldeconomicforum/2016/11/10/shopping-i-cant-really-remember-what-that-is-or-how-differently-well-live-in-2030

 

 

[Rampant Rabbit]

3 hours ago, Gottfrid said:

Easily fixed. Raise the minimum wages.

Doesnt  matter what u pay them,  more you  give less  they do

[EVENKEEL]

35 minutes ago, johng said:

Exactly that ,   they want  cheap labour to do very demanding  physically hard labour in poor conditions with minimal safety..I don't blame anyone who  turns down such work,  only those in desperate need would even consider it.

If you don't have a proper education, you know the consequences. "Desperate need" as in wanting to provide for family.

[johng]

1 hour ago, EVENKEEL said:

If you don't have a proper education, you know the consequences. "Desperate need" as in wanting to provide for family.

Doesn't matter how "proper" the education is if there are only low paying jobs available.    

Desperate need as in wanting to provide for family..yes exactly.

[swerve]

What's the big need for construction now anyway?  More condos?

[khunpa]

Great news for the many unemployed Thai people.

 

It is after all limited how many Grab drivers are needed.

[khunpa]

34 minutes ago, swerve said:

What's the big need for construction now anyway?  More condos?

Probably. Doesn’t matter if all the existing ones are empty.

 

But as everyone in the world seems to search on Google for property in Thailand, there will be trillions of Condos needed.

 

 

[BangkokReady]

2 hours ago, johng said:

How about this   Agenda 2030

 

"Welcome To 2030: I Own Nothing, Have No Privacy And Life Has Never Been Better"

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/worldeconomicforum/2016/11/10/shopping-i-cant-really-remember-what-that-is-or-how-differently-well-live-in-2030

 

 

Nice idea, but I think Elysium is more like how our future is going to be.

[MrJ2U]

6 hours ago, Gottfrid said:

Easily fixed. Raise the minimum wages.

Yes, Who wants to work for 300-400 baht a day.

 

Its  about 250 baht up here in rural Issan.

 

I actually pay 1000 baht a day for one cousin who is hard worker.  Hes like 3 regular Thai guys.

Lucky to have him.

 

[impulse]

8 hours ago, actonion said:

The Thai research body  have posted  on here today a Million Thai's un employed, i wonder is that Million those who cant work,  dont want to work? or unable to find work... Yeah I've guessed it  

Maybe they don't want to work for the same wages and under the same horrendous conditions as a Cambodian migrant?

 

[djayz]

Is this sector restricted to foreigners only? I see a lot of folk here have no jobs now. Healthy, young, unemployed Thais can't work in this sector? 

[Chang_paarp]

Maybe if they stop locking them up and blaming them for spreading disease, the foreign workers will stay and work for the pittance they are offered. At least feed them and pay them a smaller pittance while locked in their camps.