Training policy needs reviewing

The government needs to reconsider its labour policy to overcome a severe shortage in the job market, says Thaveekij Jaturajarernkul, chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries' labour committee.

The shortage currently totals 200,000 to 300,000, mostly unskilled workers or new graduates, according to a recent FTI survey.

The government has tried to mitigate the impact of the global recession on the local labour market by allocating a huge budget to upgrade the skills of laid-off workers and to shore up employers in an attempt to delay redundancies.

The government's policy seemed sound, said Mr Thaveekij.

However, some industries are now struggling to overcome a staffing shortfall as increased demand from overseas drives a recovery in production, while others continue to cut positions as they fight for survival.

The industrial sector has recently seen an upswing in orders, increasing demand for labour, notably in electronics, automotive and petrochemicals, according to the FTI survey.

Many firms shed staff when consumption slumped and demand declined. But now they need those workers back.

"The problem is they [laid-off workers] were paid compensation for being made redundant equivalent to about eight months' salary," said Mr Thaveekij. "Many went back home and started their own businesses."

The government's Tonkla Archeep programme to train unemployed people has become a double-edged sword, he said.

Some people have tried to find jobs that match the new skills they have learned, but the market currently has little demand for many such skills.

'I think they [the government] have just wasted money. Shouldn't the government have surveyed market demand before developing the training courses so it could develop workers' skills to meet demand?"

The educational system also needs improving, he said. Tourism and hotel management studies are highly popular with students but demand in those sectors is decreasing. As a result, many new graduates cannot find jobs.

While the number of vocational graduates has declined sharply, demand for these graduates in the industrial sector has increased."If the government promotes a field that has bright prospects, fresh graduates would find jobs right after they finished their studies rather than being jobless," he said.

The FTI's labour club believes the labour shortage will become more severe.

"Some of them have called for the government to resume registration of alien workers. They are ready to work hard and are determined to improve their skills in order to earn more income," said Mr Thaveekij. "Thai workers who earn higher incomes try to avoid hard work."