Thailand’s Unemployment Rate Lowest in 3 Years as Tourism Rebounds
Thailand’s unemployment rate dropped to 1.05%, its lowest in three years, as the country’s tourism industry rebounds.
Thailand’s unemployment rate dropped to 1.05%, its lowest in three years, as the country’s tourism industry rebounds.
The Asian Economic Integration Report 2023 highlights the continued growth of integration in subregional initiatives and programs in Southeast Asia, including both in the GMS and the ASEAN, from 2006 to 2020.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has announced a grant of $1.3 million to advance disaster risk management in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) through technical assistance (TA). The TA will support the implementation of the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response Work Programme, 2021–2025, which will strengthen regional cooperation on understanding, reducing, and managing transboundary risks.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved $32.5 million in financing to improve access to quality health services in Banteay Meanchey, a border province in northwest Cambodia that serves as a hub for departing and returning migrants, and those seeking employment in the province’s special economic zones.
LaoSafe, a health and hygiene program for the tourism and hospitality sector, was rolled out in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic by the country’s Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, to welcome tourists back safely into the country.
Migrant worker operates an electric loom in a textile mill. ©ILO/Areeluck Phankhian via Flickr
Mr. Pairoj Chotikasathien, head of the Thai Labour Ministry’s employment department, shared that the Thai Cabinet has approved improved labor management measures to address the gap in migrant worker employment. These measures include (i) allowing documented workers to stay until February 2025; and (ii) allowing undocumented workers to register and work until the same date.
Health ministers of Southeast Asia have agreed to work toward mutual recognition of COVID-19 vaccination certificates to facilitate travel across the region as countries reopen their borders. This will involve putting in place an ASEAN universal verification mechanism that uses digital technology while ensuring data privacy protection and security.
In the Greater Mekong Subregion, environmental assessment for livestock value chains projects helps avoid, minimize, and mitigate environmental, health, and safety risks.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $95 million loan to help the Cambodian government vaccinate Cambodians against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) from 2022 to 2023, including annual booster shots for those already vaccinated and primary doses for children under 5.
ADB’s $1.5 billion CARES Program for Thailand provides budget support for the government’s COVID-19 response.