On November 16, 2021, Labour Minister Mr. Suchart Chomklin chaired the meeting to hand over policies to heads of government agencies under the Ministry of Labour in the six southern provinces on the Andaman coast, comprising Krabi, Trang, Phang Nga, Phuket, Ranong, and Satun. The meeting took place at the Phanom Bencha Conference Room, 5th floor, Krabi City Hall. The Labour Minister’s Advisor, Mrs. Thiwalrat Angkinan, Secretariat to the Labour Minister Mr. Suthep Chitvong, Assistant Minister from the Prime Minister’s Office performing duties for the Ministry of Labour Police Major General Nantachat Supamongkol, the Ministry of Labour’s Spokesperson (on politics), Mrs. Theanrat Nawamawat, Permanent Secretary of Labour Mr. Boonchob Suttamanaswong, along with senior executives and heads of government agencies under the Ministry of Labour in six southern provinces on the Andaman coast joined the occasion. Before the meeting commenced, labour volunteer leaders at the district level in Krabi Province welcomed and presented souvenirs to the Labour Minister. Mr. Suchart said that the government under the leadership of Prime Minister and Minister of Defense General Prayuth Chan-ocha, and Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan, who oversees the Ministry of Labour, is concerned for the people affected by the COVID-19 situation, which has affected employment, especially in Krabi and the Andaman provinces. The tourism business, shops, restaurants, and accommodations are starting to recover, following the government’s policy to open the country. Many tourists have begun to gradually enter the country. The Ministry of Labour has several important projects currently underway, such as promoting and maintaining employment levels in SMEs to strengthen businesses to move forward, developing labour potential by upskilling and reskilling to be in line with the demands of the tourism labour market, and solving occupational issues to help people affected by the disaster and the economic crisis, to have jobs and an income to support occupations in the future.
Mr. Suchart continued that tourism is the nation’s key source of income. Currently, the Ministry of Labour has a project to promote and maintain employment within SMEs, the heart of the tourism sector and Thailand. According to the data, the employment rate in the six provinces has decreased significantly by 115,075 people, caused by the COVID-19 situation. There are 5,711 employers participating in the project, injecting over 900 million Baht into the economy. However, there are still some employers who have not joined the project. Therefore, they have requested to expedite actions to create understanding and work with the Ministry of Labour’s agencies. There may be an extension on the time limit and further consideration of the establishment’s qualifications in the next phase. As for the nation’s income from exports during the COVID-19 situation, the Ministry of Labour has supported important policies such as the Factory sandbox project, which has been greatly appreciated by foreign business owners who have invested in Thailand. It has solved labour shortages, approved the guidelines for importing migrant workers under the MOU for all parties to eliminate human trafficking and accelerate legal proceedings by working with relevant agencies. It has also used labour economic data to analyze work in government policy by integrating all departments to work together (big data).
“I would like to encourage you all to have the confidence that we will be able to lead the workforce, including all personnel under the Ministry of Labour, to overcome this crisis. I ask that everyone work together to develop and drive Thailand together, to comply with the government’s policy that we will not leave anyone behind,” concluded Mr. Suchart.
Krabi has 215,501 workers, comprising 207,222 employed workers and 8,279 unemployed workers. There are 3,816 establishments with 43,223 workers, including 119,205 informal workers and 13,465 migrant workers. There are 2,735 establishments registered with the social security system, covering 78,993 people. There are 53 labour volunteers. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there were 20 business closures, which affected 447 employees. There were eight temporary suspensions under Section 75, impacting 998 employees. A total of 554 employers participated in the SME employment promotion and maintenance program comprising 8,120 employees.
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Division of Public Relations
16 November 2021
