The Department of Employment Thailand announced that under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with four countries—Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam—Thai companies are allowed to legally employ foreign workers from these nations.
Workers from Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia are permitted to work in labor-intensive roles across 24 business sectors, including domestic work. Workers from Vietnam are allowed to work only in labor-intensive positions within the construction and fishing industries.
Under the MoU, foreign workers are not allowed to change employers, except in the following cases:
- Death of the employer
- Business closure
- Abuse by the employer
- Violation of labor protection laws by the employer
At the same time, according to the Royal Decree of 1979, there are 39 professions reserved exclusively for Thai nationals. These include roles such as selling food, beverages, clothing, household goods, and prepared meals.
According to Arrug Phrommani, employers in need of foreign labor can legally recruit workers under the MoU framework. The Department has improved the labor import system through these agreements to simplify the hiring process and reduce costs for employers.
These measures were introduced to address labor shortages in the country.
As of May 2016, a total of 323,270 foreign workers had been officially employed under the MoU, including:
- 155,835 from Myanmar
- 33,899 from Laos
- 133,536 from Cambodia
The top five sectors employing foreign workers are:
- General services
- Construction
- Agricultural processing
- Garment manufacturing
- Fishing industry
It is important to note that illegal employment carries serious penalties. Employers may face fines ranging from 10,000 to 100,000 Baht per illegal worker, while foreign workers may face up to 5 years of imprisonment and/or fines ranging from 2,000 to 100,000 Baht.
Source: Department of Employment Thailand