On October 27, 2022, the Labour Minister, Mr. Suchart Chomklin, presided over the 42nd Home & Condo Expo opening ceremony. The Ministry of Labour’s senior executives and relevant agencies also joined the occasion at Hall 5, Queen Sirikit Convention Center, Ratchadaphisek Road, Khlong Toei, Bangkok.
Mr. Suchart said it had been known that, over time, the three main associations of the country’s real estate industry are the Thai Condominium Association, the Thai Real Estate Association, and the Housing Business Association. The three associations are an important force from the private sector, involved in the integration of real estate business and the drive of the overall national economy to expand and grow continuously and sustainably. The Home & Condo Expo is an important event not only for the real estate business but also important to the overall country’s economic system. Houses are still considered the fourth factor in living. The event is the largest housing expedition, with large, medium, and small real estate businesses coming together to offer a variety of projects to exhibit. The event allows consumers and the general public to buy a home, which is one of the economic indicators.
Mr. Suchart continued that during COVID-19, the Ministry of Labour had policies and measures to support the workforce and businesses in many areas. In 2021, it launched stationary and proactive COVID testing stations in factories to create immunity among the workforce so that the private sector could continue to operate; 409,972 people tested for COVID-19. At that time, workers were not vaccinated. Therefore, it has requested immunization support for over 11 million workers, whereby 3,962,206 doses have been used to vaccinate the workforce. Factories shut down due to COVID-19 outbreaks inside the factory. The Ministry of Labour organized the Factory Sandbox project, based on economic and public health principles, aimed at key export manufacturing sectors such as the automotive, food, electronic parts, and medical equipment industries in 12 provinces. A total of 730 factories, with 407,770 workers, participated in RT-PCR testing, which detected 11,298 infected people, all of whom have entered the treatment process and received vaccinations. The project’s achievements kept factories from shutting down, and the manufacturing sector hit its highest export volume in 30 years. There were efforts to support SMEs to maintain employment. The government subsidized 235,933 businesses, promoting new employment of 66,201 employers, employing over 3.2 million employees. It offered a subsidy of over 27 million Baht to support insured persons. The Ministry of Labour reduced contributions under Sections 33, 39, and 40, amounting to 146,448 million Baht. It increased unemployment benefits to 73,899.09 million Baht, including cases of force majeure from 2.58 million, to 19,930.93 million Baht. It supported 81,136 workers’ camps, amounting to 412.65 million Baht. For cases of employment terminations, resignations, or contracts ending, it supported 2.55 million people with a total of 53,555.51 million Baht. There was compensation for employers and insured persons under Section 39, totaling 1.37 million people, and Section 40, with 7.21 million people, amounting to 71,214.63 million Baht. There was also compensation for insured persons in the entertainment business and self-employed people, who received compensation of 5,000 Baht per person, amounting to 147,720 people, for a total of 738.60 million Baht. There was the registration of foreign workers according to the Cabinet’s resolutions, a total of 4 times, with a total of 2,414,933 people. It also adjusted the minimum wage to the current situation where consumer goods prices are high, allowing workers to live properly, which was announced on October 1, 2022.
“I would like to thank and appreciate the Thai Condominium Association, the Thai Real Estate Association, and the Housing Business Association, which have come together to overcome the crisis, offering a great event. Today’s event is an important force in creating the country’s economic and social development to be stable, prosperous, and sustainable,” concluded Mr. Suchart.
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Division of Public Relations
27 October 2022
