On August 21, 2024, at 10.00 hours, the Labour Minister, Mr. Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, welcomed the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Singapore to Thailand, Ms. Wong Siow Ping Catherine, and her delegation on the occasion of paying a courtesy call and discussing visa guidelines for Singaporean technical trainees to intern in Thailand and skills development to support the future labour market. The Department of Labour Protection and Welfare’s Director-General, Mrs. Sopa Kieatnircha, the Department of Employment’s Director-General, Mr. Somchai Morakotsriwan, the Ministry of Labour’s Inspector-General, Mr. Samat Pattamasukon, along with executives of the Ministry of Labour, attended the occasion at the Labour Minister’s meeting room, 6th floor, Ministry of Labour.
Mr. Phiphat thanked the Ambassador of Singapore to Thailand and her delegation for visiting the Ministry of Labour today to discuss the Ministry of Labour’s support to coordinate with the Immigration Bureau to issue visas for Singaporean technical trainees to train in Thailand for 3 to 6 months without having to return to their home country. In this matter, he assigned the Department of Employment to further discuss with the Immigration Bureau under the Ministry of Interior. If possible, it will be beneficial to both parties to help reduce the problem of labour shortages in various sectors for companies in Thailand. Additionally, a new generation of workers of quality will be produced, ready to work. At the same time, it will help drive the economy and society of both countries, which is in line with the Ministry of Labour’s policy, which includes worker upskilling centers nationwide to prepare the workforce, especially in the field of Thai massage. It will further prepare to expand the labour market to foreign countries. Singapore is a target country that will increase the employment quota in the tourism and service industries for new generations of Thai workers to support the labour market in the future.
Mr. Phiphat continued that the Ministry of Labour thanked the Singaporean government for allowing Thai workers to work in Singapore. There are currently over 4,000 Thai workers in Singapore, and this number is expected to increase in the future. At the same time, there are presently over 1,700 Singaporean workers working in Thailand. He also thanked the Singaporean government for allowing investors to invest in Thailand and for promoting a large number of Singaporean tourists to visit Thailand. Today’s discussion is hoped to be beneficial to both parties in increasing the employment quota and developing skills to support future jobs.
The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Singapore to Thailand, Ms. Wong Siow Ping Catherine, thanked the Labour Minister and his team for providing the opportunity to meet and discuss today. Singapore and Thailand have a long-standing relationship. Additionally, it can be seen that one in five Singaporean travelers want to travel to Thailand. She thanked the Labour Minister for helping to coordinate with the Immigration Bureau to issue visas for Singaporean trainees to be able to intern in Thailand for 3 to 6 months without having to return to their home country. She said that the Singaporean government was ready to welcome the Labour Minister and hopes that he will join the 28th ASEAN Labour Ministers Meeting (ALMM), which Singapore will host in October.
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Division of Public Relations
