Thai jobless rate falls to 1.15% in Q4, as tourism recovers

• Mar 02, 2023

BANGKOK, March 2 (Reuters) – Thailand’s unemployment rate in the fourth quarter of 2022 dropped to 1.15% from 1.23% in the previous quarter, the state planning agency said on Thursday, as the vital tourism sector rebounds.

Employment increased 1.5% in October-December from a year earlier, but slowed from a 2.1% rise in the September quarter, as jobs in the service sector increased but farm sector employment contracted, the agency said in a statement.

The tourism sector still lacked sufficient workers while the number of foreign tourists was expected to reach 28 million this year, Danucha Pichayanan, head of the National Economic and Social Development Council, told a news conference.

The export sector, however, showed signs of a further slowdown and efforts should be made to help support exports and retain jobs in the sector, he said.

In 2022, Thailand had a workforce of 39 million, with the jobless rate at 1.32%, the agency said.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/markets/asia/thai-jobless-rate-falls-115-q4-2023-03-02/?rpc=401&