TDRI upbeat about job market after integration

 NOP TEPHAVAL The free movement of migrant labour after the integration of the Asean Economic Community (AEC) later this year is expected to bring more benefits than drawbacks for the Thai economy. A rising workforce would stimulate economic activities, which in turn would boost consumption, according to the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI). Yongyuth Chalamwong, […]

Standardised tests: the right option for Thai education reform?

Wanwisa Suebnusorn, Yongyuth Chalamwong           Labour Development Section, TDRI   “Thai education offers individuals a sense of failure.” This short but poignant statement by Nicholas Bennett in the 1960s may still be relevant to contemporary Thai society. In his book entitled “Education in Underdeveloped Countries”, Bennett (1965) argued that education for […]

CHANGE STARTS NOW

As Thailand’s population ages and shrinks, policymakers need to speed up efforts to adapt on many fronts.  By Nareerat Wiriyapong Thailand has a 20-year population development plan that contains many measures to deal with a growing ageing population and a shrinking labour force. However, the country’s long record of political volatility suggests that turning plans into […]

Learning that creates value for work

Yongyuth Chalamwong, Wanwisa Suebnusorn Several recent studies have indicated that demand for labour under globalisation favours the employment of workers with secondary education-type skills – such as proficiency in reading and writing, capacity to reason, problem-solving skills and the ability to learn throughout life. As a result, the current role of secondary education comprises both […]

Children of migrants losing out on education

SOME 250,000 children of foreign migrant workers have no access to education in Thailand, the Ramajitti Institute said. “One main reason is that their parents are reluctant to send their children to school,” Julaporn Masathienwong, the institute’s director, said yesterday. According to her, many of these people are working in Thailand illegally and are worried […]

Wage policy flaws ‘need careful study’

Flaws in the last minimum wage increase mean careful studies must be conducted before any similar policy is introduced in the future, according to the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI). The 300-baht minimum wage policy, launched by the previous Yingluck Shinawatra government, did not improve workers’ financial status, said Yongyuth Chalamwong, a research director of […]

Amnesty needed to begin reforms involving migrants

The Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI) has recommended the use of an amnesty to start foreign labour employment reforms and solving the labour shortage. TDRI research director for labour development Yongyuth Chalamwong claims the foreign labour employment problem and Thailand’s demotion to the US State Department’s lowest tier for human trafficking are inter-linked. “In past […]

Amnesty bid for illegal labourers

Penchan Charoensuthipan  Business needs workers, says tdri The junta has been urged to grant an amnesty to illegal migrant workers and set up job centres in border provinces in a bid to prevent middlemen reaping profits. Yongyuth Chalamwong, of the Thailand Development Research Institute, yesterday said the National Council for Peace and Order’s absolute power […]

The future of Thai labour amid negative factors

The Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI) is looking beyond the here and now to warn labourers about the effects of economic problems and the prolonged political crisis while also warning that unemployment among university graduates may continue to rise. The TDRI said the prolonged and unresolved political situation had increasingly inflamed other issues in society […]

Tackle worker deficit now, foster growth

Yongyuth Chalamwong We Thais are fun loving yet hard working even in the industrial sector – the country’s current highest growth achiever among all economic sectors. We have been performing relatively well since the 1960s and became regarded as a newly industrialised country in the mid-80s. As a newly industrialised nation, we are planning to […]

Aid for needy workers urged

Pathom Sangwongwanich Low-income earners turning to loan sharks Academics suggest the government implement relevant measures to curb the growing distress of workers suffering a drop in income as the cost of living rises, often forcing them to resort to loan sharks. Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI) adviser Veerathai Santiprabhob said the drop in earnings reflects […]

Impasse hikes unemployment

Sriwipa Siripunyawit The political stand-offis dragging down labour demand, writes Thailand’s unemployment rate will likely rise following the political impasse that has taken a serious toll on the economy as well as public and private investment. This will add to the slight increase in unemployment in the past year due to the 300-baht minimum daily […]

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