THE OPINIONS OF THAI EMPLOYERS ABOUT THE ASEAN FREE LABOR MOVEMENT IN THAILAND

Abstract

               This thesis therefore began to fill this research gap by studying the opinions of Thai employers, who directly impacted by the MRAs, on the free labor movement of skilled labors from ASEAN member countries. The research objectives were (1) to study the policy on ASEAN skilled labor movement in Thailand,(2) to investigate the economic and social impacts of policy on free ASEAN labor movement on the industries in Thailand, and (3) to suggest areas of improvement and recommendation for further development of the free labor movement policy in Thailand. This thesis employed a qualitative research method using data from in-depth interviews.

               The study found that, according to the Thai employees, the free movement of skilled ASEAN labors demonstrated positive impacts on the Thai industries. On the economic front, it reinforced economic growth, solved labor shortage problem, and generated positive competition between skilled Thai and ASEAN labors while maintaining equal wage and welfare. Moreover, on the social side, the free labor movement promoted cultural pluralism via cultural exchanges and respecting ethnic diversity among skilled Thai and ASEAN labors working in Thailand. However, the research findings suggested the urgent need to improve English language proficiency of the Thai labors in order to increase their communication skills, which will enable them to better compete with the foreign labors.