Thailand backs recruitment of 10,000 workers from Sri Lanka
The plan would give Thai employers another recruitment channel under bilateral agreements covering employment procedures and safeguards against trafficking.
Thailand’s Foreign Workers Management Policy Committee has authorised recruitment from Sri Lanka, with 10,000 workers set as the initial target. Labour Minister Julapun Amornvivat announced the decision on 6 November, saying it would widen employers’ options as they face staffing shortages.
Julapun said the government wanted businesses to be able to continue operating without interruptions caused by a lack of workers. Sri Lanka is among the first additional countries identified for recruitment as Thailand seeks more sources of migrant labour through legal channels.
The committee’s decision builds on the cabinet’s 8 September approval of a memorandum of understanding on labour cooperation with Sri Lanka and a separate agreement on employing Sri Lankan nationals in Thailand.
Those agreements set out how recruitment, employment contracts, health checks and workers’ return home should be handled. They also provide safeguards intended to prevent unlawful recruitment and human trafficking. Industrial operators and employers have urged the government to tackle workforce shortages affecting parts of the economy.
