Jobless figures improve

Unemployment is falling, the Labour Ministry reported to the meeting of council of economic ministers on Wednesday, source at Government House said.

The ministry said the jobless rate in November and December fell to 1.1 per cent, or about 400,000 people, a substantial improvement from a record high of 2.1 per cent reported in April.

As the situation improves, the number of laid off workers asking for unemployment assistance from the Social Security Fund in November decreased from the record high of 101, 939 in February to 40,638.

Manufacturers informed the ministry in November that they needed a total of 120,000 workers, an increase of 6.5 per cent from the same month last year.

The Labour Ministry said there was a sign of a labour shortage, particularly in the electronic and automobile industries which had previously laid off some of their workforce when hard-hit by the global financial crisis. These workers were not interested in returning to their old jobs.

The ministry also reported that if all 64 suspended projects at Map Ta Phut industrial estate were permanently halted, about 40,000 workers would be affected. But if these projects were allowed to continue, about 15,000 new jobs would be created.

The Central Administrative Court last month lifted the injunction from one project, leaving 64.