Thai Labour Ministry: Unemployment situation normal

[webfact]

Labour Ministry: Unemployment situation normal



BANGKOK: -- The number of unemployed for February who sought compensation from social security system has increased 25.58 percent to 123,087 compared to the same period last year or an increase of 7.83 percent from January’s 114,150.

However, labour permanent secretary M.L. Puntharik Samiti said that the unemployment situation was not a matter of serious concern because the figures are still regarded as lower than the three-year average of unemployment.

She pointed out that employment rate for the month of February was registered at 10.3 million representing an increase of 2.9 percent from the rate in January.

In an overall picture, the permanent secretary said that the employment, unemployment and lay-off situations are normal as indicated by 13 indices most of which are normal with the exception of the export index which is slowing down.

However, she said labour offices had been instructed to keep a close watch on labour situation and lay-offs at factories so that the newly-unemployed will be able to get help.

According to the Statistical Office, 37.53 million Thais were listed as employed as of April last year with 324,000 unemployed who included 139,000 university graduates.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/content/155412


-- Thai PBS 2016-03-17

[thesetat2013]

I thought Thailand said they didn't have an unemployment problem? A 25% increase sure sounds like a problem to me. Anybody who knows about Thailand would also know their unemployed figures are inaccurate anyway because of all the people who do not report and seek help from the gov. So I can only imagine what the real numbers are.

[docshock13]

I thought Thailand said they didn't have an unemployment problem? A 25% increase sure sounds like a problem to me. Anybody who knows about Thailand would also know their unemployed figures are inaccurate anyway because of all the people who do not report and seek help from the gov. So I can only imagine what the real numbers are.

SNAFU

[chainarong]

Depends on what you call normal, a UN report indicates that Thailand for 2016 is in the top ten worst countries for employment , it came in at number 5. And whilst on employment, a not so good look , China will be retrenching 6 million in mining and industry over the next two years because of it's down turn , riots against the government are already happening, expect more anti social protests against the totalitarian Chinese Government. ..............................................

[rickirs]

Recently from the World Bank, Thailand’s growth is expected to contract from 2.5% GDP growth in 2015 to just 2.0% growth in 2016.

The contraction is due in part to continued contraction in exports, increasing household debts, flight of foreign capital, continued negative inflation, slowdown in domestic spending and loss of agricultural revenues due to the drought and collapsing global market prices. Out of work farmers and street vendors are not considered unemployed.

The government should not feel assured of the current unemployment situation as normal.

[bangon04]

Another day, another (not very credible) Thai Government statistic........ SNAFU

[Lannig]

I'm pretty sure that most if not all of those who have become jobless during the past year in my circle of Thai people do not seek compensation from social security system so they don't fall into these figures.

Why? because they're not entitled to (it's my understanding that they apply only if one had a declared job in a registered company) or possibly because they don't know their rights.

So these figures are questionable at best anyway and they don't account for the reality of unemployment in Thailand.

[phoenixdoglover]

There is no way the employment situation is normal for the very large numbers of rice farmers impacted by the drought.

The dirty secret is this: Thailand counts all people who report they worked one hour or more in the most recent week as "employed". The informal sector, including agriculture, is hugely underemployed.