Thailand to Recruit 10,000 Sri Lankan Workers

Thailand has approved the recruitment of 10,000 Sri Lankan workers to ease a labour shortage following the return of Cambodian workers amid renewed border tensions, a senior Thai official announced on Tuesday.

Thailand, facing an ageing population and declining domestic workforce, already depends on over three million registered foreign workers in agriculture, construction, and manufacturing, according to International Labour Organization data.

Thailand Labour Minister Pongkawin Jungrungruangkit said that more than 30,000 Sri Lankan workers have already registered, with 10,000 to be deployed in the initial phase. He added that workers from Nepal, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and the Philippines will also be given opportunities under the new policy.

The move comes after a deadly border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia last month left at least 43 people dead and displaced over 300,000. The two countries have since agreed to a fragile ceasefire, but the crisis has worsened Thailand’s labour gap as thousands of Cambodian workers returned home.

(Newswire)