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Abstract
This study aims to find out both positive and negative impacts of Thai labor exporting promotion; to analyze the linkages between the Thai labour exporting promotion policy and the government permission to import foreign labour to work in Thailand; and to propose measures for government agencies concerned on the implementation of labour exporting policy. Methods of study include structured interviews 240 male and female labour coming back from working overseas. Their domiciles are in northeastern and northern provinces with top numbers of exported labour in the presence of their family. Interviews selected high-level labour officials, labour academicians, and employers hiring foreign labour in their enterprises. In addition, 4 case studies are recorded to explain the situation.
The study finds that the majority of exported labour are males aged between 31-50 years who finish only elementary education, married and have an average of 2 children. They have successively engaged in farming for more than 10 years before leaving Thailand to work in foreign countries and are responsible for 4-5 dependent family members. Most of them have debts and no savings. Factors pushing them to work abroad are naturally to free themselves from debts and to gain more income with the consent of the family. More than half of the sampling group interviewed had worked abroad for two years at a time through the arrangement of private employment agencies. Most of them chose to go to Taiwan where they received high compensation although they had to pay their way between 50,000 – 100,000 bahts and were obliged to borrow the money from black market with 3-5 percent of interest per month.
Despite the fact that jobs taken in foreign country are mainly manual, unskilled, and more risky, with 2 hours overtime a day for 6 days a week plus language difficulties, Thai labour do not fell the hardness or tiredness. On the contrary, they feel that their quality of life is fairly good and and are proud that they can send money back home at least 10,000 bahts a month to help their family live comfortably and have a sum of money to maintain themselves and to set up independent occupation.
It is not surprising, therefore, that almost all Thai labour and their family interviewed (92.10 percent) share the same view that working abroad is worthwhile, since it enables them to have savings, opportunity for their skill development and for their children’s education, as well as to bring money to the motherland, although they suffer from strains, loneliness and distant relationship with the family. Besides, most all of them (97.10 percent) suggest that the Government should carry on the promotion of Thai labour exporting, especially for skilled labour.
Information gathered from ex-Thai exported labour reflects that foreing labour from neighbouring countries do not have any linkages with the exporting of Thai labour. In other words, imported foreign labour has not seized the opportunity for employment from local Thai labour. This opinion matches with those of the labour experts and employers hiring foreign labour to work mainly in the 3 Ds (Dirty, Dangerous and Difficult) jobs as substitution for local labour. It is notable, howeve, that exported Thai labour also work in the 3 Ds jobs refused by local labour overseas.
On the administration of Thai labour exporting policy the study recommends that the Government through the Ministry of Labour should develop concretes legitimate three-phases measures namely before leaving, during working overseas, and after returning home under the supervision of the Ministry in the aspects of promotion, protection, and development. In order to do so, an organization of a public company nature should be set up to execute overall Thai labour exporting in order to prevent unnecessary high commission charge. In addition, creation of protection system for the family of thai labour back home should also be considered.
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