Pipat’ aims to send over 200,000 Thais to work abroad, hoping to bring in more money to Thailand and reduce the deficit of hiring foreign workers by over 600 billion baht per year. Revealed that negotiations with Finland and Sweden will have the government send them to pick wild fruits for 4 months, receiving no less than 200,000 baht, and is ready to open new markets in Europe.
Mr. Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, Minister of Labor, talked about the plan to send Thai workers abroad in 2025 that the Ministry of Labor has set a target that in 2025 it must send no less than 100,000 workers abroad to work, but what is more is trying to exceed this target by talking to the Director-General of the Department of Employment. There must be a ladder to gradually increase so that within the next 5 years, Thailand will be able to send 200,000 workers abroad to work in order to reduce the deficit from the case of foreign workers coming to work in Thailand. Currently, the number is around 5 million people, with each worker bei
ng paid 10,000 baht per month or 120,000 baht per year. If there are 5 million people, that is 600 billion baht per year. But if Thailand can send at least 200,000 Thai workers abroad to work, there may be more money coming in than at present. Currently, it is believed that there is no less than 200 billion baht in income from this part.
‘The Bank of Thailand has recorded figures that the income from workers going abroad is more than 200 billion baht per year. Therefore, we are thinking about how to create a balance between sending workers to work abroad and bringing money back to Thailand, compared to the money we pay to neighboring workers who come to work in Thailand, which is more than 600 billion baht per year. If we can move to create a balance, I believe that our country will benefit the most,’ said Mr. Pipat.
Mr. Pipat said that initially, negotiations have been underway with several countries to send workers. For example, during the wild fruit harvest season in Finland and Sweden, he and the Direct
or-General of the Department of Employment have already negotiated directly with the Finnish Minister of Labor. The government will be the employer and guarantee a minimum wage of no less than 50,000 baht per month for a working period of 3 and a half months, not more than 4 months. Therefore, during the wild fruit harvest season each year, workers will earn up to 250,000 baht. As for Sweden, which previously had problems with misunderstandings in sending workers and viewed that we had human trafficking and exploited workers, this November, he, along with the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Labor and the Director-General of the Department of Employment, will travel to negotiate with the Swedish government about sending workers. He thinks that the best method is to send workers government-to-government, meaning that the Department of Employment will send workers themselves. The government will manage the wages, determining how much they will receive per month. At least it will not be lower than what Fin
land provides, which is no less than 50,000 baht or not.
Mr. Pipat added that in addition, the Ministry of Labor is also trying to penetrate the labor market in many other countries, such as when he went to a labor conference in Saudi Arabia, there were bilateral negotiations with Italy, which agreed to include the matter of specifically accepting Thai workers to be able to work in Italy legally, but it has not yet reached the parliament, including other countries in the EU, because we are trying to negotiate as much as possible because working in Europe will pay higher wages than countries in Asia. In addition to getting money to bring back to take care of their families, it is also hoped that Thai workers will gain work experience and technology from different jobs to bring back to develop workers to work in Thailand.
Source: Thai News Agency