Thailand Approves Recruitment of 10,000 Sri Lankan Workers to Ease Labour Shortages

Thailand has approved plans to recruit workers from Sri Lanka to address labour shortages, setting an initial target of 10,000 workers under a bilateral labour agreement signed earlier this year.

Labour Minister Julapun Amornvivat said on Friday (6 November) that the Foreign Workers Management Policy Committee had cleared the recruitment under an existing memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the two countries. The move is meant to give Thai employers an additional source of migrant labour as businesses in several sectors continue to struggle with workforce shortages. Julapun said the Government wants to widen its recruitment options so that businesses can operate without disruption.

Sri Lanka is among the first countries identified as an additional source of workers. The decision follows Cabinet approval on 8 September of a labour cooperation MOU between Thailand and Sri Lanka, along with an agreement governing the employment of Sri Lankan workers in Thailand. The agreements set out procedures for recruitment, employment contracts, medical examinations and repatriation, and include measures to prevent illegal recruitment and human trafficking.

With industrial operators and employers urging the Government to tackle labour shortages, Thailand has been seeking to create additional legal channels for hiring foreign workers. The approval marks another step in its efforts to diversify its sources of migrant labour while bringing foreign workers into the formal employment system.

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