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Thailand's Labour Minister announces plans to promote employment in SMEs

Thailand's Labour Minister announces plans to promote employment in SMEs

Under a new scheme, employers will be required to maintain an employment level of at least 95% during the programme, failing which, these establishments will not receive a subsidy for that month.

On 15 October 2021 (Friday), Thailand's Labour Minister Suchart Chomklin announced that the Ministry of Labour plans to launch several measures to promote employment.

These efforts include a project to promote and maintain employment levels in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Under a new scheme, employers will be required to maintain an employment level of at least 95% during the programme, failing which, these establishments will not receive a subsidy for that month.

Conversely, if employment increases from the amount of employment as of the project start date, they will receive a subsidy based on the actual amount of employment. In total, the Ministry of Labour (MOL) is targetting 394,621 establishments, covering 4,034,590 employees of Thai nationality under this project.

The projects will be presented to the Cabinet for approval on Tuesday, 19 October 2021.

According to the minister, through this project, the MOL will work on reviving the economy and society from the impact of COVID-19, including preparing for the 120-day reopening of the country following the government’s policy."

Overall, apart from helping maintain employment levels, the project will follow earlier efforts by the government and the MOL to support the economy in a continued drive forward amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite the impact of the pandemic on businesses, data from the Social Security Office, from January to September 2021, showed only 665,129 insured persons had claimed unemployment benefits. 

Meanwhile, 778,125 insured persons had entered the social security system, showing that 112,996 more people entered the social security system than existing.

The numbers, MOL highlighted, are consistent with the Department of Labour Protection and Welfare’s unemployment alarm indicators. Comparing 2021 and 2020, it was found that in August 2021, only 326 establishments applied for Section 75 for 90,653 employees - the highest in 2021. In September 2021, only 176 establishments applied for Section 75 for 37,619 employees. This was different from April 2020, which had 2,555 establishments using Section 75 for 477,075 people. 


Photo / Ministry of Labour's website

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