The Deputy Labour Minister gathered academic consultants for a dialogue to solve the problem of unemployment and to develop skills that meet the needs of the labour market, linking the missions of all departments under the Ministry of Labour, in hopes to help all labor groups and promote economic recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic.
Deputy Labour Minister Prof. Narumon Pinyosinwat, reported that the government under the leadership of Prime Minister General Prayuth Chan-ocha attaches great importance solving the issue of unemployment, labour shortages, and the development of workforce potential to meet the needs of the labour market. The operation is the main mission of the Ministry of Labour, in which all departments must help each other to resolve the problem urgently. In the part responsible for the development of workforce skills, the Department of Skill Development (DSD) has been assigned to adjust work plans to meet the needs of the labour market. Efforts will require integrated cooperation with many agencies, from both public and private sectors to listen and find a way together. This is especially for the needs of companies in various industrial sectors who need people for work and skills necessary, in which the DSD will work on developing the workforces’ skills for such workers to meet true business needs.
The Deputy Labour Minister continued that hundreds of thousands of workers in the formal sector became informal workers because of layoffs. However, these workers lack the skills to work independently as they have mostly only been formal workers and is, therefore, a very worrisome group. The workers must develop their skills and increase their potential. Therefore, while looking for work and while they are unemployed, they can work on skills development with the Department of Skills Development first. This will allow them to have more diverse knowledge and abilities, which will increase their chances of finding a job. Training courses are offered in many areas such as those related to the service sector and artisan courses, including language skills. The initiative will require close coordination with the Department of Employment to find job openings and to inform participants of the news.
Another part of the operations is sourcing funding for those who have passed the training and using that knowledge for employment, however funding is lacking. The Ministry of Labour has worked with the Government Savings Bank and the Small Industry Credit Guarantee Corporation to assist workers in accessing financial resources for their occupation as well.
The meeting consisted of ML Puntrik Samiti, former Permanent Secretary of Labour, who was appointed as an advisor to the Deputy Labour Minister. The meeting also consisted of the Academic Advisory Committee, namely Associate Professor Dr. Busakorn Watcharasriroj, an expert in human resource development, Associate Professor Sombat Kusumawalee, Director of Academic Service Center, specialized in human resource management. Associate Professor Somchai Namprasertchai, Director of Office of Computer Services and Lecturer at Department of Computer Engineering with expertise in digitalization, and Associate Professor Yongyut Chalomwong, research director on labour development division from the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI) with a specialization in labour development and a subcommittee member for developing the strategic framework for labour force development in the automotive and automotive parts industry and Dr. Kirida Phaophichit, TDRI Economic Intelligence Service (EIS) project director, with expertise in analyzing the world and the Thai economy.
The Department of Skill Development’s Director-General Mr. Tawat Benchatikul added that the DSD is the main agency with a mission to develop workforce skills. Therefore, there are various training courses offering flexibility to suit the needs of the labour market in each area. There are over 1,000 training courses, both short and long-term courses, which can be used for self-employment, such as Thai foods, confectionery, waste product processing, air conditioning technicians, electricians, and welders, providing knowledge in each area. The DSD continues to have courses in online market management so that those who are trained can offer products or services on a Facebook page. In 2021, there are plans to develop over 100,000 workers and encourage companies to develop skills for their own employees totaling over 3 million people. People who are interested can contact the Ministry of Labour’s 1506 hotline, press 4.
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