Thailand’s unemployment drops, but Bangkok sees increase

Thailand has experienced a notable decline in its overall unemployment rate from May to June, except Bangkok, as revealed by a recent survey conducted by the National Statistical Office (NSO).

The NSO reported that the number of unemployed individuals decreased to 379,000 in June, down from approximately 482,000 in May. This survey encompassed the working-age population of 59.19 million people aged 15 and older.

Among these, 40 million were engaged in the formal sector, while the remainder, including those with disabilities, were not part of the workforce.

The unemployment rate for the 15 to 24 age group saw a significant drop from 7% in May to 5.1% in June. For individuals aged 25 and older, the rate fell slightly from 0.6% to 0.5%, according to the NSO.

Despite the general decrease in unemployment across all regions, Bangkok experienced a minor increase, with the rate rising from 12% in May to 13% in June.

University graduates represented the largest segment of the unemployed population, totalling 139,000 people. High school and vocational school graduates each accounted for around 72,000 unemployed individuals, the NSO noted.

“Despite a marked drop in unemployment in general, university graduates make up the largest group of unemployed.”

In a separate survey conducted by SEEK, an Australian online employment marketplace, on 150,000 people across 180 countries, it was found that 76% of Thai respondents expressed interest in working remotely for an international company while remaining in Thailand. This figure rose from 50% in the previous survey conducted in 2020.

When asked about their interest in working and living overseas, about 66% of Thai respondents indicated they were interested, citing better pay, job opportunities, and the experience of being part of an international working environment.

The top destinations for these Thais were Singapore, Australia, the US, and China, according to the survey.

SEEK’s survey also showed that Thailand had improved its position from 39th in 2018 to 31st in the global rankings of preferred destinations for people wanting to work abroad.

High quality of life, friendliness of the local people and a non-discrimination culture, as well as low living costs, were among the top reasons attracting foreigners to work in Thailand as SEEK reported.

As of March, approximately 2.7 million foreign workers were employed in Thailand, making up 7% of the country’s total workforce, SEEK added, reported Bangkok Post.