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. 

More migrant workers are needed to help the Thai economy recover. Mr. Poj Aramwattananont, Vice Chairman, Thailand’s Chamber of Commerce, estimated that Thailand requires at least 3 to 4 million migrant workers to get its economy moving forward. 

Labor-intensive sectors, including agricultural goods and food processing for exports, construction, tourism, and services, are among industries most in need of workers. 

Currently, there are around 2.5 million documented migrant workers from Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, and Myanmar in Thailand. Mr. Chotikasathien expects that with improved labor plans and arrival of more workers, there could be nearly 3 million migrant laborers by the end of the year.