November 25, 2025 – Ms. Trinuch Thienthong, Minister of Labour, released an overview of the flooding situation in the southern region based on reports from agencies under the Ministry of Labour. According to these reports, 12 provinces, 105 districts, 632 sub-districts, 4,523 villages, and 740,405 households have been affected, with 1,966,843 people suffering hardships. Flooding remains ongoing in 10 provinces: Surat Thani, Krabi, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Trang, Phatthalung, Satun, Songkhla, Pattani, Yala, and Narathiwat. There have been 17 deaths, including one insured person under Section 40, 2 uninsured individuals, and the remaining cases are under verification. A total of 22,988 establishments and 309,368 employees have been affected, of which 10,797 establishments and 205,783 employees are covered by the Social Security system.
Ms. Trinuch added that initial relief measures have already been deployed. She has ordered all agencies under the Ministry of Labour, referred to as the “Five Tigers of Labour”, to mobilise forces and assist the provinces, including evacuation efforts and transporting affected people to shelters. Additionally, the Ministry of Labour, through the Department of Skill Development, has instructed all Skill Development Institutes and Offices in affected provinces to set up field kitchens to prepare and distribute meal boxes to flood victims until the situation improves.
She further explained that the Ministry of Labour has additional measures to support recovery after the waters recede. These include: emergency employment projects, career counselling, support for home-based workers, job placement services, setting up repair centres for electrical appliances, vehicles, and agricultural machinery, occupational skill training, consultation on loans from the Occupational Safety Fund, labour protection assistance, and compensation for insured persons who become unemployed due to force majeure. Employers will have access to low-interest loans, and insured persons affected by flooding who cannot work are entitled to unemployment benefits from the date they are unable to work or from the date the employer cannot operate. The benefit rate is 50% of daily wages for up to 180 days. Applications and employer certifications can be submitted to any Social Security Office nationwide.
For employees unable to work because their workplace or home is flooded and travel is impossible, the Ministry of Labour, through the Department of Labour Protection and Welfare, has issued letters requesting employers to assist affected workers. In cases where employees cannot report to work due to high water levels or inaccessible roads, they should be permitted to take time off without it being counted as leave, and continue to receive regular wages.
Additionally, employees in affected establishments who need financial support to repair their homes or restore their livelihoods after the floods can access the Ministry’s disaster-relief loan programme. The Department of Labour Protection and Welfare has created a loan scheme to assist cooperative members in workplaces and state enterprises, offering loans of up to 20 million Baht per cooperative, at 2% annual interest, with repayment terms of up to 5 years, for home repairs or occupational recovery.
Affected individuals who require assistance can contact any Ministry of Labour office nationwide or call the Ministry’s hotline at 1506.
