Ministry of Labour strives to provide jobs for the elderly

The population of Thailand is collectively getting older, and now the Ministry of Labour is attempting to address the problem of senior citizens without the financial means to sustain themselves. Minister of Labour Suchart Chomklin is working to create a job market for elderly citizens as Thais over 60 struggle to pay their bills without jobs.

The plan to reduce inequality in society by creating resources and job opportunities for the older population has helped over 1,000 people secure employment and has made available hundreds of job roles including opportunities to be self-employed. The drive to find positions for elderly people beyond the normal retirement age was given to the Department of Employment (DOE) and the director-general says it has so far been successful.

“The department recently cooperated with the Business Services Alliance to hire 100 seniors and disabled persons to work as customer service staff at Café Amazon for Chance.”

A recent survey found that only 15% of the 9,408 elderly people who are qualified to work interviewed were interested in a full-time job working for a company. The majority, 76% preferred to be self-employed. The remaining 9% were more indifferent, saying that they could work for themselves or an employer.

In the 2021 fiscal year that comes to a close this month, the Ministry of Labour helped 1,007 people over the age of 60 gain employment. The DoE has been working with companies to create job roles for older people as well.

They say 199 job opportunities where a senior citizen could be self-employed were available, and cited examples like making bracelets out of lucky stones, or selling trees on the Internet.

The DOE had also forged relationships with companies like MK Restaurant Group, New Travelodge, MBC Land, and Surin Sugar to help create employment opportunities for older people. Additionally, 148 job roles were identified that could employ older staff, such as cook, customer service representative, barista, or branch manager. The director-general of the DOE said that currently, the top five most popular jobs for elderly people were:

1. Production worker
2. Housekeeper
3. Security staff
4. Coaching personnel
5. Driver

The DOE website – www.doe.go.th – and telephone hotline, available by calling 1506 (extension 2) or 1694 and provide more information and resources at Employment Offices across Thailand for anyone over 60 seeking a job.

SOURCE: The Nation

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