Thailand’s unemployment rate in the second quarter of this year hit its highest level in two years at 1.07%, according to the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC).
Danucha Pichayanan, NESDC secretary-general, told the press on Tuesday (Sept 3) that the rate of unemployment in the second quarter had risen to 1.07% from 1.06% in the same period last year. This marks the highest rate since the end of the Covid-19 pandemic, he said.
The NESDC found that the number of employed Thais had dropped by 0.4% to 39.5 million in the second quarter compared to the previous year. This decline was primarily attributed to the 5% drop in jobs in the agricultural industry, though employment outside agriculture had risen by 1.5%.
In the second quarter, NESDC found 430,000 people unemployed. It also found that the ratio of those who had lost their jobs had risen, while the ratio of unemployed new graduates had dropped.
However, Danucha said the NESDC expects the employment situation to improve in the remaining months of the year.
As for the drop in jobs in agriculture, he said it was mainly due to drought, prompting farmers to stop planting. The NESDC has also warned that massive flooding in many provinces in North and Central Thailand may affect farming jobs during the rest of the year.
Meanwhile, Danucha said the number of long-term unemployed individuals has dropped to about 70,000, while the unemployment rate among workers with social security stood at 1.92%. He said some 230,000 workers sought unemployment aid from the Social Security Fund in the second quarter, marking a drop of 7.8% from the same period last year.
The NESDC also found that businesses with the highest rate of employment were those benefiting from the tourism industry’s recovery, such as hotels and restaurants. Danucha said workers spent an average of 42.8 hours per week at work, up slightly by 0.3% compared to the second quarter of last year. The average salary for workers at private firms stood at 14,032 baht per month.
Danucha added that the NESDC is advising Thai workers to improve their skills and boost their digital knowledge to reduce unemployment. The council is also concerned that more SMEs will cease operations due to economic woes, including the lack of loans and high interest rates. – The Nation
