Covid-19 slamming factory capacity and exports: FTI Poll
The Covid-19 crisis has triggered a serious labour shortage in factories, hitting Thailand’s main economic engine – exports – hard, according to CEOs surveyed by the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI).
The FTI surveyed 166 executives from 45 industry groups and 75 provincial industry councils on the topic of managing labour problems during the pandemic.
The survey found that the employment rate during the Covid-19 crisis had remained about same as before the crisis, at around 53.6 per cent.
However, labour shortages are currently affecting 45.2 per cent of factories, resulting in a 30 per cent drop in production capacity.
Capacity has reduced by 30-50 per cent in 20.5 per cent of factories and more than 50 per cent in 7.8 per cent of factories.
The top three causes of labour shortages in the industrial sector were found to be:
1. Temporary closure of factories as workers undergo quarantine with temporary (51.8%).
2. Factories can't find enough Thai labour (49.4%).
3. Strict travel controls for migrant workers (41.6%).