Thailand’s labour market experienced notable improvement in the first quarter of 2023, with 98% of the labour force now employed, according to the National Statistical Office (NSO).
Data revealed that of the 58.8 million people aged 15 and over, 40.3 million or 68.5% participated in the labour force, with 39.6 million or 98% employed.
NSO Director-General Piyanuch Wuttisorn highlighted that full-time employees working between 35-49 hours a week increased by over 300,000.
Meanwhile, unemployment declined to 420,000 or 1.1% in Q1, reaching pre-pandemic levels.
Long-term unemployment rates also improved, dropping from 113,000 in Q4 2022 to 87,000 in Q1 2023.
Wuttisorn attributed the labour market improvements in Q1 to the return of Chinese tourists following the relaxation of China’s COVID-19 travel restrictions.
However, quasi-unemployment numbers rose to 3.4 million in Q1, up from 2.1 million in the previous quarter, indicating that income decline and risk of future unemployment persist for some workers.
