More than 1/3rd of Thailand’s 13.6 million 60-plus population still working

A survey in 2023 found that Thailand’s population of people aged 60 years and above totalled 13.64 million, accounting for 19.5% of the total population, the National Statistical Office (NSO) revealed.

Of the total senior citizens, 5.11 million were still working, the majority of them in the southern and northeastern regions. The group engaged in fishing and agriculture and received an average monthly wage of 5,700 baht.

Suwannee Wangkan, deputy director of the NSO, revealed that the office summarised the work performance of the elderly in Thailand every year. This is done by gathering data from surveys on the employment status of the population and informal labour surveys conducted in the third quarter (July-September).

The data is then further processed, focusing on individuals aged 60 and above who are currently employed. This information serves as a crucial dataset for agencies involved with the elderly and those responsible for overseeing labour rights and protections. It is used to formulate plans and initiatives related to various welfare and protection measures for the elderly, ensuring they receive benefits and fair treatment in their workplaces, Suwannee said.

The main points can be summarised as follows:

- Thailand has a population of 13.64 million elderly (aged 60 years and above), accounting for 19.5% of the total population, making Thailand an aged society.

- The 5.11 million elderly who were still working made up 37.5% of the elderly population with the proportion of males (48.1%) higher than females (29.7%).

- The majority of elderly who are still working live in the northeastern, northern, and southern regions of Thailand. Around 25% of Bangkok’s elderly population was still working.

- There is an increasing trend in the number of elderly who work and live alone.

- More than 50% of the elderly are engaged in skilled agricultural and fishing work, followed by service and sales workers. They work an average of 39.0 hours per week, earning an average monthly wage of approximately 12,151 baht for wage workers, the NSO said.

Agricultural workers receive the lowest wages at 5,796 baht.

It was found that 86.8% of elderly workers in the informal sector lack social security coverage or protection. They often faced issues related to compensation and workplace safety. Therefore, relevant agencies should plan management strategies to support the increasing number of elderly workers and provide assistance in terms of welfare, protection, and social security, including fair compensation for elderly workers, Suwannee said.