Phuket offers jobs to the Bangkok flood jobless

PHUKET: The Phuket Skill Development Center (PSDC) along with a consortium of local businesses and recruitment specialists have launched a campaign to secure employment in Phuket for those people who have lost their jobs in Bangkok due to the floods.

“An estimated 600,000 people have lost their jobs because their place of work was closed due to the floods,” said Ilyat Koshasawat, chief of the PSDC, which operates under the Department of Labor.

“Those industries need six months to rebuild,” he said.

In response, the center is coordinating its “Andaman helps friends” campaign.

“This campaign will benefit local employers as well as people needing work because qualified, experienced employees are in short supply in Phuket and our neighboring provinces,” Chief Ilyat explained.

He urged all local businesses with job vacancies to contact the center.

“More than 20 businesses, including job-placement agencies, have registered with us. On our lists, we already have about 2,000 positions vacant in Phuket, Khao Lak and Phang Nga due to the [tourism] high season,” he added.

“We will match the prospective employees with the vacant positions registered with us and then refer the candidates to the appropriate contacts,” he said.

Chief Ilyat said his office had applied for a budget of 3 million baht in order to hold job fairs in Bangkok.

“That way we we can reach out to more applicants. While we’re there, we can check to see which positions candidates are best qualified for and what positions we have available,” he explained.

“If the budget is approved, we will take about 40 representatives of local businesses in Phuket who are looking for staff.

“If any of those businesses actually hire people from Bangkok, with the budget approval we can fly the successful candidates from Bangkok down to Phuket for free,” he explained.

The Phuket Skill Development Center is located at 139 Moo 4, Srisoonthorn, Thalang, Phuket. Tel: 076-273470 and 076-273471 Email: Phuket@dsd.go.th

Meanwhile, Phuket Rajabhat University (PRU) is offering students who cannot attend classes at other Rajabhat campuses because of flooding the chance to work in temporary positions in Phuket.

Under its “work and study” program organized by the Phuket Office of Tourism and Sports, PRU is offering temporary job placements with local tourism businesses so students can learn valuable skills and gain experience.

Any students hired full-time under the program will have the opportunity to continue their studies in Phuket through weekend classes.

For full details see the Phuket Gazette issue out today.

— W Temram / C Plerin