November 20, 2025, 15.00 hours – Ms. Trinuch Thienthong, Minister of Labour, together with Pol. Lt. Col. Wannapong Kotcharak, Permanent Secretary of Labour, Mr. Somchai Maruksriwan, the Ministry of Labour’s Inspector-General and Acting Deputy-Director of the Department of Employment, Mr. Samat Pattamasukon, Deputy Permanent Secretary of Labour and Acting Director-General of the Department of Skills Development, and senior ministry executives, visited the headquarters of Minor International Public Company Limited, one of the leading restaurant and fast-food service operators in the Asia-Pacific region, and owner of several well-known hotel and food brands worldwide.
Ms. Trinuch Thienthong, Minister of Labour, thanked the executives of Minor Group for their support for the “Have a Job, Have Income, Have Education” project over the past 10 years. The programme has enabled financially disadvantaged students to work while studying and receive scholarships, with 6,000 students having joined to date. In 2026, the target is to bring 800 students into the programme. She also expressed appreciation for Minor’s focus on people, adding, “Our role is to find jobs for people and find people for jobs. I personally came today because I want to hear directly from a major global business group like Minor about the types of human resources they need, so we can make more accurate matches and expand employment opportunities for Thai people.”
Mr. Somchai Maruksriwan, Inspector-General and Acting Director-General of the Department of Employment, said he hoped Minor would continue strengthening this already successful project. With the company having a large number of overseas branches, it may create more opportunities for Thai workers to work in Minor’s businesses abroad. Currently, there are around 5,000–6,000 job seekers in the Ministry of Labour’s system.
Mrs. Aurakanda Attavipach, Chief People Officer of Minor International Public Company Limited, said that Minor’s businesses are expanding rapidly, especially in the hotel sector abroad. However, recruitment challenges include skill development, particularly digital skills, English or Chinese language abilities, and service-related capabilities. She expressed the need for the Ministry of Labour to help develop these skills to match labour market demands, as well as to assist in coordinating opportunities for Thais to work in Europe, where there are still significant restrictions.
The Minister of Labour added that she had previously spoken with the Italian Ambassador, and there is potential to begin collaboration with Italy first among EU countries, as Thailand is now on the approved list, allowing Thai nationals to work legally in Italy.
