Thailand needs to develop labour skills though it has the world's lowest unemployment rate

[Oziex1]

What are all the employed people busily producing and how is it affecting thailand's GDP ?

[AlphMichaels]

The stats, hardly verify-able, there is a factor to consider; what percentage live a subsistence lifestyle barely making ends meet? The lion's share of farming families outside Bangkok barely survive. They eat what they grow and can scavenge from the land. They sell what they grow (that they don't consume) to buy other basics and earn a pittance from it. And they have ZERO political power. That's the tragedy.

Edited July 1, 2015 by AlphMichaels

[Cylon]

The same guy that has counted the unemployed also counts these millions of tourists coming though the airports.

[Daniel Boon]

They keep banging on about having the lowest unemployment rate in the world, what they never say is that to qualify as being employed in Thailand you only have to work for one hour in a month.

Yep, one hour a month.

in Australia, its one hour a week

[overherebc]

They keep banging on about having the lowest unemployment rate in the world, what they never say is that to qualify as being employed in Thailand you only have to work for one hour in a month.

Yep, one hour a month.

So, this 4 Thai employee quota for a farang business means, technically, such business need only employ 4 Thais @ pro rata minimum daily wage of 300 baht for an hour each? Just asking ..

Interesting one for 'Ask the lawyer' ???

[emilymat]

It's all nonsense and another illustration of this governments wish to be No1 all the time.

I listened to a programme on BBC radio about unemployment in the UK. It seemed generally agreed that 5% unemployment represented 'full' employment on the basis that there was always a constant movement of people between jobs.

The irony of course is that the Thai 'claim' to full employment has exactly the reverse effect on increasing skills and efficiency, let alone pay.

Take this Homepro store mentioned earlier. Loads of people standing around with mobiles doing nothing. I suspect there may be a 'requirement' by someone that stores like this must employ a minimum number of workers. Crazy if it is true.

[heardy]

Most of the people in rural Issan villages are unemployed most of the time. especially now with no rain,

[manhood]

Lowest unemployment rate in the world: but just look the way how they do this unemployment rate ?!?!

Hundred of Thousands of people working are not realy working, standing in a corner and play with their mobile phones!

I would kick out at least 60% lf the employess in any shops such as Teso, Big C, Home Work etc......

So all the consumers are paying the bill of "unemployment" as they work totally needless and without any skills at all!

Thanks Thailand for this fantastic statistics we always get presented!

[kingstonkid]

I realize that this is from a Canadian mind BUT

Why do they not teach any skills in the schools.

I am sure that boys would love to learn wood working, basic electronics and automobile repair. It would also give them a reason to get better in their core subjects.

[KamalaRider]

What's more interesting, from 67.4 million people, only 38.2 are able to work out off 47.3 millions according to wikipedia.

In a country where over 70.9% are able to work, most young people finish school at 15. Lets deduct a million from the middle group, still 46.3 million could be working.

That's 17% unemployed, not 0.85% as the report said.

Est. population 2011

0–14 years: 19.9% (male 6,779,723/female 6,466,625) 15–64 years: 70.9% (male 23,410,091/female 23,913,499) 65 years and over: 9.2% (male 2,778,012/female 3,372,203) (2011 est.)

[KamalaRider]

I realize that this is from a Canadian mind BUT

Why do they not teach any skills in the schools.

I am sure that boys would love to learn wood working, basic electronics and automobile repair. It would also give them a reason to get better in their core subjects.

That requires the schools to employ skilled people. Wow, what a salary hike for some teachers. Anyone thinks the administrative staff who handles and pilfer the money will accept a cut back in "salary"?

[bazza40]

Define decent paying. I got a close friend a job with a top 4 accountancy company. She had a degree from overseas. 16k baht per month. How does one live in central bangkok on 16k

Senior accountants in Australia charge $300 - $400 an hour for their services. That's thanks to about 3200 pages of tax code, plus GST.

IMHO, I don't think bean counters create anything but figures and bottom lines. Skills which create real goods and useful services are far more valuable.

[gandalf12]

.

Thailand: hub of the fully employed.

But then, Thai statistics have only a 3.74% chance of being accurate.

I would believe the emplooyment statistics as a THai will be employed even if he just sits around all day. Having said that there are many hard working Thai's (I hear moans already) but over all the skill level is low. Call yourself super chief doesnt mean a thing it is what you can bring to the table that matters

[iamariva1957]

Develop "labor skills"? Really? I would say that learning about logic would be far better and be far more reaching. Also Thailand has to try and remove this idea that Thais are somehow better than the rest of the world and actually might not be as good at things. It is this 'Thai is better' notion which is not patriotic but rather a nationalistic point of view is one of the underlining issues permeating within the work place. Change that or at the very least point it out to the population the "development of labor skills" can proceed.

Just my opinion.

[gandalf12]

I realize that this is from a Canadian mind BUT

Why do they not teach any skills in the schools.

I am sure that boys would love to learn wood working, basic electronics and automobile repair. It would also give them a reason to get better in their core subjects.

That requires the schools to employ skilled people. Wow, what a salary hike for some teachers. Anyone thinks the administrative staff who handles and pilfer the money will accept a cut back in "salary"?

Many of the teachers and lecturers in the universities dont have the knowledge to teach the students. This was stated a while back in the paper that university lecturers admitted they did not undrstand the new technologies.

[Thai at Heart]

Define decent paying. I got a close friend a job with a top 4 accountancy company. She had a degree from overseas. 16k baht per month. How does one live in central bangkok on 16k

Senior accountants in Australia charge $300 - $400 an hour for their services. That's thanks to about 3200 pages of tax code, plus GST.

IMHO, I don't think bean counters create anything but figures and bottom lines. Skills which create real goods and useful services are far more valuable.

Well thats as maybe. I heard a classic story of Toyota trying to head hunt a Thai American engineer who was working in the USA for Honda. They were attempting to offer 80k which was sort of ok,to possibly entice him from his senior level design job in the USA, until it became apparent it was 80k baht per month....not USD per year.....wages are still, by western standards very low in Thailand. That is a basic fact.

[Chao Lao Beach]

So why are so many of rucken my inlaws allways broke and need 100,000baht ?

Edited July 1, 2015 by Chao Lao Beach

[Colabamumbai]

Starting with learning the English language.

[fred Kubasa]

" World's lowest +unemployment " is just another Thai fallacy when you consider that at

least 30 % of the employed are actually UNDER-EMPLOYED, not earning enough to pay each day's bills.

[bkk75]

 

I think productivity would be a better measure of success... Sure, there's 12 people employed in the AIS shop, but it takes 11.5 of them to figure out how pay my bill every month (or any random three to "help" me use the kiosk).

 

If you need any assistance using the kiosk after many times using it, then I suggest you choose to pay online or directly billed to your CC or direct debit payment. Or switch to True.

Trolling much?

[thurien]

"Thailand needs to develop labour skills"

funny enough: When I took up my 1st assignment in Bangrak way back in 1972, newsprint carried exactly this same head-line. And what happened in between all these years of "frantic learning on the job"? The result is impersonated by the managerial boys and girls in all the DIY- shops, the malls, the arcades, furniture shops, repair centres etc.etc....

...or by the young sales manager of a well- known car brand: "this is real leather" "you mean: real artificial leather?" "yes" "that means plastic?" "no no!!!"

nobody has a f...ing clue yet

Edited July 1, 2015 by thurien

[Soutpeel]

wages are still, by western standards very low in Thailand. That is a basic fact.

but should one be comparing wages with Western countries ? to me at least it means nothing....we hear all the time on TV how cheap Thailand is by the resident farang experts, so should the wages on offer not be related to the actual prevailing cost of living in Thailand, not what the same job would attract in farangistan ?

and i am of course referring to Thai nationals, not expat's who are brought into Thailand, different thing

even in the farangistan, one see's the same thing, for example the average salary for a specific job in the say London is significantly higher than the same position than in say the northern part of the country

[Soutpeel]

I realize that this is from a Canadian mind BUT

Why do they not teach any skills in the schools.

I am sure that boys would love to learn wood working, basic electronics and automobile repair. It would also give them a reason to get better in their core subjects.

they do at trade schools

[jamie2009]

In the UK to be on the register you have to be claiming Job Seekers Allowance but even the unemployment figures are 'massaged' as people on Training Courses etc which are provided by the Benefits Office are not classed as unemployed.

In Thailand no one claims benefits as there is no such thing as unemployment benefit as far as I am aware so they have no idea who is working or not, judging by the posts there are a high percentage of unemployed persons like the ones collecting the plastic bottles etc from the trash. Are the free lance girls walking the streets classed as 'employed'

Edited July 1, 2015 by jamie2009

[Thai at Heart]

wages are still, by western standards very low in Thailand. That is a basic fact.

but should one be comparing wages with Western countries ? to me at least it means nothing....we hear all the time on TV how cheap Thailand is by the resident farang experts, so should the wages on offer not be related to the actual prevailing cost of living in Thailand, not what the same job would attract in farangistan ?

and i am of course referring to Thai nationals, not expat's who are brought into Thailand, different thing

even in the farangistan, one see's the same thing, for example the average salary for a specific job in the say London is significantly higher than the same position than in say the northern part of the country

Its all relevant. Even highly qualified people are faced with lower wages in Thailand because there isn't the level of demand for professionals as there maybe in Singpore or the west. It is what it is, and company's consider this when they open up here. But, at the same time, it is claimed that there is a paucity of supply of highly qualified graduates. Quite why wages aren't jumping up when companies claim there is a shortage, might suggest there isn't an overal supply shortage, but a specific skills shortage among the marktet in general.

It has little to do with the prevailing cost of living in order to define the level of pay for a given position. Companies will pay as little as they can get away with.

That is simply driven by the labour market. Companies pay what they have to, in order to get the type of employees they want. If Thailand wants to become a biotech centre, I would suggest that wages for genetics and biotechnologists might be quite high, because Thailand barely has any. But this all comes down to the level of economic activity in general. Thaialnd has a given GDP, which in order for people working in MCds to be able to earn 7gbp per hour, means that the disposable income of 70mn Thais has to start approaching that of the UK. This facilitates MCds to be able to pay the wages.

[spectrumisgreen]

Typically, in so many posters on heres' pursuit of knocking Thailand as being liars and so forth ('the statistics aren't/ can't be true', etc..) almost all of you are missing the point.. it's not a lie, just that endless workers doing the same job means that either the salaries are ridiculously low even such as in well-known retail outlets (but clearly people are accepting them as rather that than nothing!) or it's all government subsidised!! Just have a count up next time you're in Big C or wherever.. I've been surrounded by thirty young folks just hovering round the electrical goods, at times!! Doesn't always have to be a total lie, for those in charge to make things look better than they are.. every country does pretty much the same thing.. like 'Government Enterprise' and 'Training For Work' schemes back in the UK.. it's just something else that (the relevant) government departments and their employees - WHEREVER! - do!!! Spin Doctors, anybody???

[Travelman868]

How can they know the unemployment rate when people don't register as being unemployed?

Because all the hookers pay taxes maybe?

More like unemployment doesn't exist, as it might affect the image of Thailand.

And....that's why prostitution is illegal.

It's a vicious cycle.

What's with the "Hookers and Prostitution" show a little respect for those hard working boys and girls.

[superal]

National Statistics Office (NSC). ? Am I missing something here ? surely NSO

[glasswort]

Unemployment rate of less than 1%. Who is kidding whom? As there is no benefit system or any other type of system for that matter how can the relevant authorities possibly know? Oh yes of course, silly me, everyone is paying income tax! duh!

[glegolo]

Up country... or Isaan if that sounds better... the male population is not working at all, laying under a sala, playing petanque , in big groups, mostly the lady goes to work, the man stays home lazy and just doing nothing....

Problem with the numbers is that no one is registered as unemployed.

Been out in the midday sun again?

Yes maybe.... But he is 100% spot on it... wake up to the reality of Thailand..

Glegolo