Thailand to Allow More Foreign Workers to Help Kick start Economy

Thailand has announced plans to bring in more foreign workers from next month in hopes to revive the dwindling economy. The country has recently seen a shortage of workers which has negatively impacted manufacturing and growth. The economy is still recovering from the deadly pandemic and aims to get boost growth over the next quarter.

The Thai government will encourage illegal workers in the country to register themselves, which will in turn help assess the total number of workers and deficit in labor supply. According to the figures, the government will then allow workers from neighboring countries such as Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos to enter. According to estimates, the labor shortage comes to 300,000.

Labor Minister Suchart Chomklin stated, “We start prosecuting illegal workers from next month because we can’t take any risks that will lead to any new outbreak.” The Prime Minister of Thailand has previously faced challenges with migrant workers and economic recovery. Out of 2.5 million foreign workers in Thailand, one-fifth went back to their native countries during the pandemic. The nation’s economy declined by 6.1% last year and is expected to go up 1.2%.