Picture courtesy of Bangkok Post

 

In a bid to address looming labour shortages, Thailand's government has unveiled a plan to recruit 10,000 Sri Lankan workers, with the Cabinet giving the green light. Labour Minister Pongkawin Jungrungruangkit announced this initiative as a strategic response to bolster industries that are struggling to find enough workers.

 

The programme aims to provide immediate relief to businesses, particularly in sectors like agriculture, manufacturing, and services, which have been hit hard by the workforce deficit. Beyond Sri Lankan recruitment, the Labour Ministry is presenting an expanded proposal to the Cabinet, which includes unique domestic solutions. These involve mobilising local resources such as prison inmates nearing release and juveniles in correctional facilities. It also plans to formalise employment for illegal workers already in Thailand.

 

Support for the government's approach comes from the Thai Chamber of Commerce, which emphasises the urgency in tackling these shortages across multiple industries.

 

In recent weeks, the Cabinet has also approved measures to accommodate Cambodian, Laotian, and Myanmar workers. New work permits are available for those whose permits expired and for undocumented migrants in the country before the resolution.

 

The pilot scheme involving Sri Lankan workers allows for a two-year contract, extendable for another two years. This is partly to fill the gap left by Cambodian workers who have returned home. However, Professor Pongtep Suntikul, an expert from Thammasat University, cautioned that the skills of Sri Lankan workers might not align with current Thai labour demands.

 

While Cambodians typically occupy semi-skilled jobs, such as in construction and agriculture, Sri Lankans are more skilled in hospitality and personal care sectors, where there is already significant Thai presence. This discrepancy could lead to competition between foreign and local workers due to differing skill sets and costs.

 

Professor Suntikul suggests that retaining the existing Cambodian workforce in Thailand is crucial. He advocates for letting Cambodians who wish to return do so and stresses the importance of formalising undocumented workers’ status through the Interior Ministry.

 

He also highlights the challenges in over-reliance on Cambodian, Lao, and Myanmar labour and the complexities of sourcing from other countries. Looking to the future, Suntikul recommends investing in technology to reduce reliance on foreign workers and stresses the importance of maintaining human rights standards as per the International Labour Organisation's conventions.

 

“Thailand's real strength is its robust laws and regulations for managing migrant labour. The challenge is ensuring these laws are applied effectively,” he asserted.

 

As Thailand navigates these labour shifts, strategic international recruitment paired with robust domestic policy will likely be key to sustaining its economic momentum.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Thaiger 2025-08-28

 

15 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

Sri Lankans are more skilled in hospitality and personal care sectors

Are they?

Indians will become Sri Lankan. Just watch and see. 

12 minutes ago, DonniePeverley said:

Indians will become Sri Lankan. Just watch and see. 

 

I'm thinking of becoming Sri Lankan for the work permit. 

5 minutes ago, Packer said:

 

I'm thinking of becoming Sri Lankan for the work permit. 

You'd better ask Donny where he gets his make-up from.

22 minutes ago, DonniePeverley said:

Indians will become Sri Lankan. Just watch and see. 

 

Already there.  It's been going on for decades, sometimes causing unrest.

Then there is language, I guess the Thais are supposed to communicate with them in English.

And then there is religion, most are Hindu or Buddhist, and quite a few Christians, but maybe Thai gov't doesn't care about that.

 

Sounds like LOS is getting more like Malaysia, where there are droves of people from all over Asia; there seems to be a preference for people from Muslim countries.

 

15 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

In a bid to address looming labour shortages, Thailand's government has unveiled a plan to recruit 10,000 Sri Lankan workers, with the Cabinet giving the green light. Labour Minister Pongkawin Jungrungruangkit announced this initiative as a strategic response to bolster industries that are struggling to find enough workers.

That would  boost TAT's visitor numbers too, Win Win

10 hours ago, DonniePeverley said:

Indians will become Sri Lankan. Just watch and see. 

Yep and Indians seem to have ways of infiltrating countries like no other and before you know it they're everywhere

14 minutes ago, hunkidori said:

Yep and Indians seem to have ways of infiltrating countries like no other and before you know it they're everywhere

 

 

 

 

Like i say, these won't be Sri Lankan workers. The Sri Lankan work pool isn't huge. The indian work pool is massive. It will be Indians. 

Sri Lankan Recruitment to Suppress Thai Wages and Workers' Rights. 

 

Or that's how I read it.  Ask Canadians how that's working out for them. 

17 minutes ago, DonniePeverley said:

Like i say, these won't be Sri Lankan workers. The Sri Lankan work pool isn't huge. The indian work pool is massive. It will be Indians. 

 

And I bet half of them will be opening yet more Indian restaurants....

Indian construction workers employed by cowboy builders?🤔

Sri Lankan is just a polite way of saying Indian. These won't be Sri Lankans. Just see. 

 

And once they open the flood gates to allow them to work in construction, you are going to see masses. 

On 8/29/2025 at 3:07 AM, redwood1 said:

 

 

 

 

Those Indian garish places have wrecked the street...saw a walkaround. Whole place begins to look like a Blade Runner cultural mish-mash zone now.

Singapore hires a lot of people from Bengladesh and India for his labour work.

7 hours ago, freedomnow said:

Those Indian garish places have wrecked the street...saw a walkaround. Whole place begins to look like a Blade Runner cultural mish-mash zone now.

 

Good way to put it.

Every day I'm in Bangkok, I see dozens (maybe hundreds) of able bodied people scrounging through trash to pull out recyclables worth a few baht a day.  Apparently, they're classified as "employed" and there's a labor shortage.

 

I think it's a shortage of people willing to work for the wages on offer from companies that can hire Sri Lankans and Burmese and Laotians and... and...  for slave wages with no protections against abuses.

 

Globalism...  Gotta love it.