More than 7,600 Lao workers return from Thailand

In July, the Lao authorities set up one-month temporary service centres at Lao-Thai border crossings in nine provinces, enabling them to register and extend any necessary assistance to Lao workers.
According to the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, the 7,636 workers, including 5,228 women, had registered at these centres.
The ministry's Skill Development and Employment Department said the actual number of returnees could be higher than this figure, noting that many workers could have returned individually in small boats crossing the Mekong river. Others could return through traditional checkpoints where service centres had not been set up.
To help people seeking employment, the department has asked higher authorities to enlarge its budget so they can run training sessions for workers.
Deputy Director General of the Skill Development and Employment Department, Dr Bounma Sitthisom, said recently there was a high demand for workers in Laos, so the returnees should be able to find jobs here.
“Some projects have asked for hundreds of workers to meet their job requirements,” he told the Vientiane Times .
He added that the authorities would work with employment agencies to recruit these workers into available jobs.
In addition, the department stressed the need for the authorities to facilitate the employment of Lao workers, together with employment agencies, to ensure those people who wanted to return to work in Thailand did so legally.
Aiming to better regulate Lao workers still in Thailand, Lao and Thai authorities held talks in early September to seek appropriate solutions to the situation.
Lao authorities said both sides agreed to work together, and Lao officials should travel to Thailand to verify the nationality of the workers before Thai authorities issue them with work permits.
“We have asked for guidance from the higher authorities about a possible timeframe for these officials' visits to Thailand so they can work with Thai officials on this issue,” Dr Bounma said.
Thailand's Department of Employment has registered more than 150,000 Lao workers, who did not have any of the required legal documents, the National News Bureau of Thailand (NNT) reported.
Worker registration began in Thailand in June and will continue until the end of this month, according to Dr Bounma.
People who have been registered have been given a temporary work permit that allows them to work in Thailand legally until March next year.
Higher wages are the main incentive for Lao workers flocking to Thailand, despite the fact that there is a high demand for labour in Laos.
At least 31,130 workers will be needed by 2015 to work in nine sectors in Laos, according to information previously provided by the National Chamber of Commerce and Industry.