Thailand Short Of Construction Workers After Myanmar Opens Its Country

[webfact]

Thailand short of construction workers after Myanmar opens its country

BANGKOK, 5 March 2012 (NNT) – The Thai Real Estate Association (TREA) has revealed that after Myanmar has shown signs of opening up its country for investments, many Burmese have returned to their home country, causing construction worker shortage in Thailand.

President of the TREA, Kittiphon Pramote Na Ayutthaya, stated that the real estate sector is facing severe labor shortage, causing delays in several housing construction plans. He said many Burmese construction workers who returned to their home country during the flood devastation in 2011 never came back because they have found more job opportunities in Myanmar, as the nation is opening up for business.

He added if Myanmar fully opens up its country, Thailand would face a huge labor problem.

Currently, many entrepreneurs have already been affected by the government's plan to increase the minimum wage to 300 baht in April. Production costs are expected to rise. Mr Kittiphon said they will also have to shoulder the increasing fuel prices. He concluded that all of these factors have contributed to the rise in real estate prices, which so far have gone up by 5-10%.

The association president does not believe that the flooding will happen again this year, which will give buyers more confidence in buying houses. He expects that the overall real estate sector will see a 5-10% growth in 2012.

-- NNT 2012-03-05

[bigbamboo]

Oh dear, it looks as if Thais will wish they had treated their Burmese cousins a bit better now. Of course when Myanmar opens up it's tourist industry things will get even worse.

[Naam]

in future less exploitation of Myanmar migrant workers... hopefully.

[EvilDrSomkid]

Oh dear, it looks as if Thais will wish they had treated their Burmese cousins a bit better now. Of course when Myanmar opens up it's tourist industry things will get even worse.

I said something similar about the tourist bit recently in another Burma topic.

However, I don't think ithe Burmese staying home has a lot to do with their treatment here. They are treated like crap in their own country, too.

From what I have learned from the Burmese I have spoken to is that they all want to go home and work there.

Burmese do not really like to travel and are happiest when staying their village, according to "The Glass Palace".

Construction costs will skyrocket in Thailand. Som nam na.

[OzMick]

Rat's.........sinking ships, etc. Note that I am NOT referring to Myanmar workers as rats, though they tend to be treated as such.

Remember the Cambodians flocking across the border seeking the Eldorado of B300/day. I wonder how many have departed wiser but poorer.

[wolf5370]

And yet everywhere there seems to be empty new properties, half empty moo bahns, and older properties with for sale signs up for years...maybe its time to stop building and start looking after the existing properties.

And (just to start another sentence with a conjunction to P off the grammar police!) why has the market already risen 5-10% already - surely it takes time for such impact, I wouldn't have thought many properties now available were affected by the floods or fuel rises. Just another excuse to try and put prices up - and another reason not to buy new and fix up existing stock instead.

[sparebox2]

No matter what, the Thais still pay better.

Nothing for Thailand to worry about.

The Burmese govt have to worry where to get illegal Bangladesh workers wanting to work in ASEAN.

[Gone]

Good. Maybe Thailand can start paying decent wages but I doubt that.

[jeffcool]

No matter what, the Thais still pay better.

Nothing for Thailand to worry about.

The Burmese govt have to worry where to get illegal Bangladesh workers wanting to work in ASEAN.

Nothing for Thailand to worry about???? That made me laugh.....

Who's going to empty your trash?? Go Fishing?? Build your house??? Clean your home???

Thais might have to go back to work..... That would be a huge loss of face.....

[Moebius87]

There is a definite lack of skilled construction workers here in Thailand... but to say that Burmese laborers repatriating back to Myanmar is going to impact that dearth is laughable.

If you are talking about bodies that hang about on a construction site and move stuff from point A to point B, you're absolutely right that there will be less of that going on. Those people just take up space and pretend to get things done. But, if you are talking about skilled and experienced construction tradesmen... we don't really have much of those people to begin with in the first place.

Not the fault of either the Thais, nor their cousins from across the borders - more about a lack of real vocational skills training in my humble opinion. I think folks should be careful of how the term "construction worker" is defined before raising any panic alarms... or other people start jacking up costs due to an exaggerated labor shortage.

[Misterwhisper]

Perhaps if certain Thai "entrepeneurs" had not treated their Burmese workers like serfs and paid them ridiculous wages for their hard labour those people would have wanted to stay. If Burma now seems preferable to them despite conditions over there still not being rosy, it should give reason for thought why they're leaving in droves. Short-sighted profit thinking once again comes back to haunt the perpetrators and now has them lament their unfortunate situation. If only they had considered that a little earlier and treated their valuable workers like human beings. Next big hit will be when scores of Burmese maids leave, just to be followed by tourism sector and fisheries workers from Burma. Thais generally look down on Burmese, Laotians, Cambodians and pretty much every other nationality in the region as "racially inferior" and in their arrogance forget who is actually doing much of the menial work in this country.

[Soutpeel]

Not the fault of either the Thais, - more about a lack of real vocational skills training in my humble opinion.

Well whose fault is it ?...if its not the Thai's ?.....let me guess its the farangs fault...

[hgma]

real estate is merely build on tax deduction qualifications.(in my opinion)

Thats why you see, like in my hometown NK, that for years unfinished buildings are not worth renovating, no ---next door build new ones.

Skyrocketing land/property prices, burt when asked to rent a deserted next door building you can rent it for less then 4000 a month...same style nextdoor new ones.

tax the poor- tax deduct the rich

[pattayadingo]

Hahahaha.... some of you posters might have to clean your own apartments when the maids go back!!!

[givenall]

This is another nail for the Thailand competiveness coffin. First was flood, second the minimum wage increase, now Myanmar becoming a competitor to Thailand. Don’t you love this government economic policies?

[folium]

This is another nail for the Thailand competiveness coffin. First was flood, second the minimum wage increase, now Myanmar becoming a competitor to Thailand. Don’t you love this government economic policies?

Looks like Thailand's lost its mojo for Burmese workers also.

[Card]

No more mass murdering of Burmese workers at the end of each month then? No more bodies washed up on some river bank with workers hands tied behind their backs and empty purses?

[tragickingdom]

There is absolutely no shortage on construction workers. there is however a shortage on decent employers that houses it's construction workers properly and not in degraded slumps and who pay a decent wage. Employees must be quite sick and tired of the complaining that employers do about minimum wages. The minimum wage in Thailand is a third of that of China. Foxconn would be a top company in Thailand, compare that with Seagate or Western Digital. The same is valid for construction companies. The elite should grow up and acknowledge that they should drive a smaller Benz and employ a bit less staff at home and cut back on their massage parlor visits. Than they can pay their workers a bit more.

[belg]

that is a good thing, right? that those people go back? in my home country, we would have a celebration for weeks, if all the illegal people siphoning on the social system would suddenly go home to actually WORK

[AZBill]

Lets attract more workers by giving them all iPads!

[voodoomagicman]

Government Minister announces free Tablets for all Burmese workers. See if they fall for this too.....

[Unkomoncents]

Hahaha, well, that's the end of the organized enslavement of at least one of Thailand's neighbors. Sure isn't going to get better for the idiot overlords...

[DLock]

No matter what, the Thais still pay better.

Nothing for Thailand to worry about.

The Burmese govt have to worry where to get illegal Bangladesh workers wanting to work in ASEAN.

Nothing for Thailand to worry about???? That made me laugh.....

Who's going to empty your trash?? Go Fishing?? Build your house??? Clean your home???

Thais might have to go back to work..... That would be a huge loss of face.....

I have capable Thai's that handle those jobs, and I am grateful, and pay them well.

You do realize that not everyone uses cheap Burmese labour right?

[filguy]

bring the Cambodians and Laotians...LOL

[Chopperboy]

Employees must be quite sick and tired of the complaining that employers do about minimum wages. The minimum wage in Thailand is a third of that of China. Foxconn would be a top company in Thailand, compare that with Seagate or Western Digital.

The wages for workers in China are still less than the 300Baht here.

I know many Shans and while they go back to Burma for a break they nearly always return.

The shortage of construction workers is due to so many building projects and workers wanting to do an easier job.

They would prefer to work in a market or restaurant for example.

The problem hasn't really begun, if Burma does start building then its the next generation who won't come to work here. If thats the case, expect labour and ALL prices to start rising as low labour cost is about the only thing holding it down.

[IAMHERE]

in future less exploitation of Myanmar migrant workers... hopefully.

Doubtful

[IAMHERE]

This is another nail for the Thailand competiveness coffin. First was flood, second the minimum wage increase, now Myanmar becoming a competitor to Thailand. Don’t you love this government economic policies?

Myanmar actually has gas and oil deposits, self sufficient in energy would make them a formidable competitior.

[ginjag]

What 300 baht..HaHa  have some posters lost it ???   only 7 provinces remember,  and these already pay it.  doh.

I saw recently a worker=well non worker= with a bucket of rubble, walk 10 meters empty it, return to do the same again...this is a joke, not even 2 buckets-or a barrow. near every site the same. Dammed hard work will kill some off, thats why foreign workers were here. Lazy seems to be an apt word for many in Thailand.

[ericthai]

There is absolutely no shortage on construction workers. there is however a shortage on decent employers that houses it's construction workers properly and not in degraded slumps and who pay a decent wage. Employees must be quite sick and tired of the complaining that employers do about minimum wages. The minimum wage in Thailand is a third of that of China. Foxconn would be a top company in Thailand, compare that with Seagate or Western Digital. The same is valid for construction companies. The elite should grow up and acknowledge that they should drive a smaller Benz and employ a bit less staff at home and cut back on their massage parlor visits. Than they can pay their workers a bit more.

Where do you get that Thailand's min wage is a 1/3 of what China is? Min wage is different in each city in China , same goes here in Thailand different areas have different wages, but Thailand is not a 1/3 of China. It is about 20-25% less depending on where in China and Thailand you are comparing. However there are companies that pay more than mini wage. I know I pay more than min wage both in my factory and in the office. I know several other manufacturing companies paying more than min wage. Also I don't see any labor shortage this is just a rumor to increase already over inflated housing prices.

[TackyToo]

Besides the exodus of foreign workers:

The rice exports are going down the drain. There is no way to keep the pole position as the worlds No1 rice exporter

Formerly welcomed retirees find more obsacles by the month there are enough alternatives in the hood

Banks start again to create massive problems for foreigners receiving money from abroad to their Thai bank account

Foreign fathers of thaiborn kids get a kick in the butt via visa regulations and their kids are refused their rights to be equally treated as Thai citizen

The downswirling image of Thai tourism caused by scams, crime and corruption will cost dearly

Flood mamagement turned out to be desatrous and will definately harm the investment sector

Political instability is a decades long routine

While politicians fill their coffers, the average Thai is suffering more and more to make ends meet

As much as I love the country- I don't see any light at the end of the tunnel

Please spare me the standard answer - if you don't like it...