Jobless numbers up and could go higher, says NESDB
Unemployment has been rising in the wake of the 2011 flood crisis and the sharp hike in the minimum daily wage this year, according to National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) secretarygeneral Arkhom Termpittayapaisith.
“Investment and manufacturing facilities have not expanded because of the hike in the minimum daily wage, which took effect in April,” he said yesterday.
The flood crisis late last year had also forced many businesses to close down or suspend operations, he said.
“Many businesses are still unable to resume manufacturing,” Arkhom said. Investors were also concerned about the Eurosovereign debt crisis.
According to the NESDB, the national unemployment rate soared to 0.85 per cent in the second quarter of this year, up from 0.6 per cent during the same period last year.
Some 521,199 new graduates entered the labour market this year, and while more jobs were created, the increase was not enough to accommodate all.
The unemployment rate among universitydegree holders, for example, climbed from 1.0 to 1.9 per cent in the second quarter of this year.
“The number of graduates from fields such as the humanities and fine arts have been higher than the demand from the labour market for many years already. The problem has existed since 2005,” Arkhom said.
NESDB deputy secretarygeneral Suwannee Khamman said there were signs the jobless rate would soar even higher.
“Average work hours of the employed have fallen,” she said.
The number of people working more than 40 hours a week now had dropped by 0.7 per cent.
NESDB also raised concerns about Thais’ limited command of English, a skill which could become even more important in the future.
According to the English Proficiency Index (EPI), Thailand is ranked among groups with low English proficiency.
“We need to seriously and constantly improve Thais’ English skills,” she said.
She also suggested that Thais consider learning Malay because the language could be used to communicate with half the Asean population.
Meanwhile, the NESDB noted that a survey conducted earlier this year showed about one million Thai children were depressed and annoyed for unknown reasons.
And up to 17 million Thais drink alcohol and about 14.6 million are smokers.
