Survey finds low unemployment rate in Thailand

BANGKOK, November 15 (TNA) - A latest official survey shows that Thailand's unemployment rate stood only at 0.6 per cent in October 2013. Viboondhat Sudhantanakit, Director-General of the National Statistical Office (NSC), told journalists on Friday, citing his office's latest survey, that 38 million Thai people, out of the country's total workforce of 38.39 million, were employed last month, while 237,000 of them were jobless, accounting for 0.6 per cent, and 13,000 others were waiting for seasonal jobs. Viboondhat said, based on the NSC's latest survey, most of the employed Thai people in October were outside the Thai agricultural sector, standing about 25 million, as they worked in production, transport and retail sectors; while workers in the agricultural sector stood at about 12.8 million. The NSC chief acknowledged, however, that the unemployed Thai people in October 2013 rose by 14,000 people year-on-year, but dropped from a month earlier. (TNA)