Labour demands rise at unaffected estates
Recruitment requests for Rayong, Lamphun as export orders surge, says Manpower
A leading recruitment firm, ManpowerGroup, has revealed that manufacturers in Rayong’s Eastern Seaboard as well as those in Lamphun need additional labour to support the 30-to-40-per-cent increase in overseas orders, especially now that six industrial estates in Ayutthaya and Pathum Thani are flooded.
Country manager Simon Matthews said yesterday that the company had received requests for more manpower from 10 factories, mainly auto and electronics plants, in Rayong and Lamphun. He said they needed about 500-750 workers this week to help meet the extra orders.
“We believe factories in other areas also need more labour,” Matthews said.
To meet the demand, the company will set up recruitment centres in affected areas, particularly in regions where workers have lost their jobs because of flooding.
Flooding in key industrial estates, namely Saha Rattana Nakorn Industrial Estate, Hi-Tech Industrial Estate, Rojana Industrial Park, Bang Pa-in Industrial Estate and Factory Land in Ayutthaya and Nava Nakorn in Pathum Thani, has left more than 100,000 people unemployed.
Suthida Kanjanakantikul, ManpowerGroup’s marketing manager, said 70 per cent of the workers in factories in Ayutthaya might feel insecure about their future and could be seeking new opportunities.
Matthews suggested that factory owners in the affected areas work towards making their employees feel confident about their jobs, explain that they will be retained, and set a timeline for recovery.
“The big challenge next year will be the lack of skilled labour in affected factories, which might cause a delay in resumption of production,” he said.
Additionally, he said, the government should learn from this crisis, work closely with the private sector and help create measures to protect industrial estates from losses as well as maintain the confidence of foreign investors and workers.
Though the impact from this flooding, the worst in 50 years, will affect next year’s growth, the company believes it will enjoy a 20-per-cent increase in revenue if its target of 12,000 workers being recruited is met.
