GameMaster Posted April 29, 2023 Share Posted April 29, 2023 Thailand's population is aging quickly. At the same time the country has a high rate of informal work (around 55%) and a declining participation rate (currently around 65% I believe). State support for elderly people is ridiculously low (something like 500 or 600THB/month). Thailand currently ranks 3rd in Asia (after Japan and Korea) when it comes to working-age population. What is the gov strategy to tackle that problem ? Any ideas what the upcoming plans are regarding laws and regulations ? 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BangkokReady Posted April 29, 2023 Share Posted April 29, 2023 Probably nothing. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post sidneybear Posted April 29, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted April 29, 2023 They'll deal with it when the time comes. That's the Thai way. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsari Posted April 29, 2023 Share Posted April 29, 2023 39 minutes ago, sidneybear said: They'll deal with it when the time comes. That's the Thai way. The time has already arrived 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidneybear Posted April 29, 2023 Share Posted April 29, 2023 12 minutes ago, itsari said: The time has already arrived Well, the sky hasn't fallen in yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post itsari Posted April 30, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted April 30, 2023 7 minutes ago, sidneybear said: Well, the sky hasn't fallen in yet. It has for the 600 baht a month pensionists 2 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post sidneybear Posted April 30, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted April 30, 2023 1 minute ago, itsari said: It has for the 600 baht a month pensionists That's why extended families exist in Thailand, and are such a nice way of caring for the elderly and repaying them for all the sacrifices they made back in the day. 1 1 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsari Posted April 30, 2023 Share Posted April 30, 2023 5 minutes ago, sidneybear said: That's why extended families exist in Thailand, and are such a nice way of caring for the elderly and repaying them for all the sacrifices they made back in the day. Maybe you could be adopted by the family and try living on 600 baht plus handouts . 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidneybear Posted April 30, 2023 Share Posted April 30, 2023 4 minutes ago, itsari said: Maybe you could be adopted by the family and try living on 600 baht plus handouts . Thanks for your concern, and that's not a bad idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Aylesham Posted May 1, 2023 Share Posted May 1, 2023 On 4/29/2023 at 7:24 PM, BangkokReady said: Probably nothing. Not so - At least here in Chiang Mai a new, well equipped geriatric hospital has been built. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Tyrrell Posted May 1, 2023 Share Posted May 1, 2023 Good afternoon ???? after they deal with more then 2 on a motorcycle without helmets and open pickup trucks with people loaded Unsafely in the back. !!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post mfd101 Posted May 1, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted May 1, 2023 On 4/30/2023 at 7:07 AM, itsari said: It has for the 600 baht a month pensionists And what are the 600-a-monthers doing about it? Nothing. And their families? Nothing. Doubtless a new improved-model government is about to be elected in Thailand. Whether it actually gets to form a government remains to be seen. But the underlying passivity of the former slaves & serfs whose descendents I live amongst - passivity reinforced daily by a status-conscious culture, by poverty & routine, by Buddhism and by a school system whose main output is ignorance and obedience - means that nothing much changes or it changes at such a slow pace for most of the peasants that they fall further and further behind the rest of the world. Example: A young woman from impoverished background in my village. Worked hard at local school & secondary school & then university. Top marks all the way. Came 2nd or 3rd in the whole of Thailand in the exams to enter the Police force. Failed because she couldn't raise the um facilitation funds required to enter the RTP. With examples like that it's hard to think that Thailand has a great future. Just further wallowing in a filthy trough. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moo 2 Posted May 1, 2023 Share Posted May 1, 2023 Prayut could not care less, he is not a civilian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsari Posted May 1, 2023 Share Posted May 1, 2023 10 minutes ago, mfd101 said: And what are the 600-a-monthers doing about it? Nothing. And their families? Nothing. Doubtless a new improved-model government is about to be elected in Thailand. Whether it actually gets to form a government remains to be seen. But the underlying passivity of the former slaves & serfs whose descendents I live amongst - passivity reinforced daily by a status-conscious culture, by poverty & routine, by Buddhism and by a school system whose main output is ignorance and obedience - means that nothing much changes or it changes at such a slow pace for most of the peasants that they fall further and further behind the rest of the world. Example: A young woman from impoverished background in my village. Worked hard at local school & secondary school & then university. Top marks all the way. Came 2nd or 3rd in the whole of Thailand in the exams to enter the Police force. Failed because she couldn't raise the um facilitation funds required to enter the RTP. With examples like that it's hard to think that Thailand has a great future. Just further wallowing in a filthy trough. I have read that Thailand has the worst pensions in southeast Asia and considering they have the second best economy in the region does not give confidence now or after the election for any improvement. I hope the young woman you mentioned has found gainful employment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingstonkid Posted May 1, 2023 Share Posted May 1, 2023 On 4/30/2023 at 7:11 AM, sidneybear said: That's why extended families exist in Thailand, and are such a nice way of caring for the elderly and repaying them for all the sacrifices they made back in the day. The extended family in Thailand is not new but it is slowly eroding. The challenge is that grandparents used to look after the kids while mom and dad worked. The issue is that the kids are now not having as many babies and the cost of living for a lot of them is above their means to support themselves let alone their parents. But when you look around the world the issue is the same in a lot of countries. The old ideals fot eh past are long gone. Some of younger membersw will remember the sage wisdom we got in school and at home. Get a good education Get a good job with a good company Then you are set for life because you will always have a job and get a pension when you retire 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidneybear Posted May 1, 2023 Share Posted May 1, 2023 24 minutes ago, kingstonkid said: The extended family in Thailand is not new but it is slowly eroding. The challenge is that grandparents used to look after the kids while mom and dad worked. The issue is that the kids are now not having as many babies and the cost of living for a lot of them is above their means to support themselves let alone their parents. That's true in some cases, particularly for westernised Bangkok middle class. I still know of a lot of young folk who live with their relatives though, and outside Bangkok it's widespread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BangkokReady Posted May 1, 2023 Share Posted May 1, 2023 2 hours ago, George Aylesham said: Not so - At least here in Chiang Mai a new, well equipped geriatric hospital has been built. And it's free for everyone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LogicThai Posted May 1, 2023 Share Posted May 1, 2023 (edited) 1 hour ago, kingstonkid said: Some of younger membersw will remember the sage wisdom we got in school and at home. Get a good education Get a good job with a good company Then you are set for life because you will always have a job and get a pension when you retire That old wisdom is pretty much gone now in Western countries. Quality of education is in free fall, and while what passes for a good education is certainly still a better entry point into the working life, it is no guarantee of a good job, nor of keeping even a not-so-good or a bad job, and there are not really many "good companies" left. And from a certain age, well-educated or not, one becomes unwanted, and eventually discarded. As for getting a pension upon retirement, most governments have been moving the goalpost and will continue to do so. Edited May 1, 2023 by LogicThai 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfd101 Posted May 1, 2023 Share Posted May 1, 2023 2 hours ago, itsari said: I have read that Thailand has the worst pensions in southeast Asia and considering they have the second best economy in the region does not give confidence now or after the election for any improvement. I hope the young woman you mentioned has found gainful employment. Currently working as secretary to a doctor. Which is a few steps up from the paddy fields and the cane fields but far short of her legitimate ambition. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsari Posted May 1, 2023 Share Posted May 1, 2023 3 minutes ago, mfd101 said: Currently working as secretary to a doctor. Which is a few steps up from the paddy fields and the cane fields but far short of her legitimate ambition. The top jobs go to the well off . Thank you for your reply Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingstonkid Posted May 1, 2023 Share Posted May 1, 2023 (edited) 59 minutes ago, LogicThai said: That old wisdom is pretty much gone now in Western countries. Quality of education is in free fall, and while what passes for a good education is certainly still a better entry point into the working life, it is no guarantee of a good job, nor of keeping even a not-so-good or a bad job, and there are not really many "good companies" left. And from a certain age, well-educated or not, one becomes unwanted, and eventually discarded. As for getting a pension upon retirement, most governments have been moving the goalpost and will continue to do so. You missed the Pension part completely. The Pension I am talking about is 55-60% of your annual salary plus your medical coverage will stay the same. Had nothing to do with the government pension THe interesting part is that many people are refusing to retire at 60 or the max-age because they can not afford to. Edited May 1, 2023 by kingstonkid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingstonkid Posted May 1, 2023 Share Posted May 1, 2023 Just now, kingstonkid said: You missed the Pension part completely. The Pension I am talking about is 55-60% of your annual salary plus your medical coverage will stay the same. Had nothing to do with the government pension 1 hour ago, sidneybear said: That's true in some cases, particularly for westernised Bangkok middle class. I still know of a lot of young folk who live with their relatives though, and outside Bangkok it's widespread. Yeah there are still a lot of them I know of a couple of students that I teach that Grandparents bring them and look after the house. The challenge is that no one at any time explained or taught money management to people here it is the same as the western countries. Thais in the country have a better idea of living and understand. I actually think some bar girls are smarter than the ones with the high education. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidneybear Posted May 1, 2023 Share Posted May 1, 2023 1 hour ago, kingstonkid said: The challenge is that no one at any time explained or taught money management to people here it is the same as the western countries. Thais in the country have a better idea of living and understand. I actually think some bar girls are smarter than the ones with the high education. Right. Many are up to their eyeballs in debt. Mind you, easy credit has been a problem globally for the past few years. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzaa09 Posted May 1, 2023 Share Posted May 1, 2023 On 4/29/2023 at 5:11 PM, sidneybear said: That's why extended families exist in Thailand, and are such a nice way of caring for the elderly and repaying them for all the sacrifices they made back in the day. Shouldn't attempt to explain natural familial/social extensions to contemporary Western types. Such patterns don't come by them easily.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebike Posted May 1, 2023 Share Posted May 1, 2023 5 hours ago, mfd101 said: And what are the 600-a-monthers doing about it? Nothing. And their families? Nothing. Doubtless a new improved-model government is about to be elected in Thailand. Whether it actually gets to form a government remains to be seen. But the underlying passivity of the former slaves & serfs whose descendents I live amongst - passivity reinforced daily by a status-conscious culture, by poverty & routine, by Buddhism and by a school system whose main output is ignorance and obedience - means that nothing much changes or it changes at such a slow pace for most of the peasants that they fall further and further behind the rest of the world. Example: A young woman from impoverished background in my village. Worked hard at local school & secondary school & then university. Top marks all the way. Came 2nd or 3rd in the whole of Thailand in the exams to enter the Police force. Failed because she couldn't raise the um facilitation funds required to enter the RTP. With examples like that it's hard to think that Thailand has a great future. Just further wallowing in a filthy trough. With those qualifications why did she want to be a cop? Brown envelopes don't come without paying up front for the privilege. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfd101 Posted May 1, 2023 Share Posted May 1, 2023 10 minutes ago, mikebike said: With those qualifications why did she want to be a cop? Brown envelopes don't come without paying up front for the privilege. My understanding is that she wanted to be a teacher but within a large 'n generous organization with plenty of opportunities for a decent career ... She knew it was going to be difficult but to reach as high as she did by way of qualifications and still not be offered a position is pretty appalling. Says nothing good about this country as a whole. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skeptic7 Posted May 1, 2023 Share Posted May 1, 2023 Government solution...snag/con a "farang"❗❗❗???? Seriously tho...Don't know...don't care. Why should you waste time thinking about it and caring more than they do❓ Not our prob. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enoon Posted May 1, 2023 Share Posted May 1, 2023 15 minutes ago, zzaa09 said: Shouldn't attempt to explain natural familial/social extensions to contemporary Western types. Such patterns don't come by them easily.... But they used to. My great-grandparents generation lived in that sort of environment........but it all changed. Do not expect future generations in Thailand to maintain such behaviour in the light of their own unbounded cravings for materialistic self-confirmation/validation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adumbration Posted May 1, 2023 Share Posted May 1, 2023 China has an even more sinister inverted population pyramid. A number of people, including Peter Zeihan, are predicting the lack of children (and subsequent shortage of work age people) will cause the economic collapse of China within this decade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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