Labour databases to be shared
Labourrelated agencies have joined forces to share their databases in an attempt to match supply with demand and control the quality of labourers.
Software called Labour Economic and Education Data Exchange Plus (LEEDX Plus) is being used to gather uptodate information about the number of workers in different industries and issue warnings about too many or too few workers in nine industries, as well as qualifications that do not meet employers' demands.
The nine industries are automobiles and auto parts, textiles and clothes, electrical goods and electronics, food, wood and furniture, plastic, leather and shoes, ceramics, and rubber and rubber products.
Industry Ministry permanent secretary Witoon Simachokedee said LEEDX Plus cut down on redundant data collection, and helped analyse and put the workforce at optimum use. It also suggests policies and measures that can be used to deal with problems regarding the workforce.
"Data on labour collected by five agencies, including the Industry, Labour and Education ministries, the National Statistical Office and the Federation of Thai Industries, will be exchanged automatically after they allow the data to be published. So they can access the updated information without getting caught up in red tape," said Yongyuth Chalamwong, research director for labour development for the Human Resources and Social Development Programme at the Thailand Development Research Institute.
The TDRI is an adviser to the project.
Yongyuth said Thailand was short of medium and lowskilled workers by more than 200,000, especially in small and mediumsized industries.
"Employers also complain about their quality or qualifications. They want teachers who produce workers to focus on their core competencies - equip them with honesty, patience, assiduousness, responsibility, teamwork, a foreign language, and thinking and communication skills," Yongyuth said.
LEEDX Plus was upgraded in 2010 from Labour and Economic Data Exchange (or LEDX) created in 2009. The software cost about Bt20 million and was financed by the Industry and Labour Ministries.
