Government's Bt300 daily minimum wage not yet affect Thailand's employment

BANGKOK, February 27 (TNA) - The National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) says that the government's new wage hike of 300 baht in all areas across the country has not yet affected Thailand's employment. NESDB Deputy Secretary-General Suwanee Khamman told journalists on Tuesday that employment rose by 1.7 per cent and the number of workers stood at 39.6 million in the fourth quarter of last year, with the largest employment growth detected in the local agricultural sector, in which the unemployment rate was only at 0.48 per cent or 190,245 people, a drop from 0.63 per cent in the same period of the previous year. Throughout last year, Suwanee noted that Thailand's unemployment rate remained low at 0.66 per cent, and that the fields of education, which remained sensitive to the changing economic situation were business administration and business, the fields which produced excessive graduates were liberal arts, humanities, journalism and information, with the unemployment rates in the fields ranging from 2.2-3.8 per cent. Suwanee acknowledged that the unemployment rate was also high among those with vocational certificates and bachelor’s degrees in computer sciences, and that the increase in the daily minimum wage appears to have not caused layoffs in general yet, but its impacts on employment have been closely watched, as 16,900 businesses were shut down and workers’ productivity increased slower than their wages last year. According to the NESDB deputy chief, Thailand's overall labour market remains tight and the country is to quickly solve its labour shortages and to improve education and workers’ skills and productivity for a long-term labour solution. The NESDB deputy chief also reported that household debts have increased, especially those relating to vehicle purchase, although there have not been any default; while household savings have remained low, as over 45 per cent of nationwide households could not save. The NESDB deputy secretary-general pointed out that movements of labour have led to more violence against children and women, with abuse cases having doubled over the past five years, and that narcotic solutions, rehabilitation and after-rehabilitation supervision have not been quite effective, as only 9.7 per cent of the drug addicts who quit have not returned to drug abuse. The NESDB deputy chief also indicated that the number of pregnant teenagers, abortion and child abandonment has also been on the rise, and that the issues need area-based solutions. (TNA)