The Unskilled Migrant Labour Management under the Legislation of Thailand

Abstract

The objectives of this research were to study the situation and unskilled labour problem in Thailand, and to analyze the solution of unskilled migrant problem under the international law and cooperation by using the document analysis and in-depth interviews with 12-month observation. The informants were from 3 sectors: the government administrators and officials; business people; and unskilled labourers.

In Thailand, the management of unskilled migrants has not really been successful because it has not reflected the attempt to reduce the dependence on unskilled migrant labourers. This causes employers to be unwilling to invest in improving working environment and developing production technology that would upgrade efficiency, all of which                           create damage to sustainability of the economic growth in the future. Moreover, the registration and extension fees for unskilled migrant labourers are relatively high with requirements of numerous documents and procedures. Blockages of smuggling unskilled migrant labourers along borders, suppression and arrests of all who smuggle to bring in unskilled migrant labourers for employment and repatriation of labourers to originating countries have been inefficient. Apart from those problematic measures, there is no clarity of policies on the management of protection of rights and welfare of unskilled migrant labourers.

For the solution of the unskilled migrant labourers, there is the need to consider the Immigration Law and mechanism for employment to control unskilled migrant labourers, including Migrant Worker Protection under Minimum Labour Standards and Basic Labour Protection