Thailand’s unemployment rate drops to 1.2% as of November, statistics show
A new census conducted by the National Statistical Office shows that the number of unemployed persons in Thailand has dropped by 95,000, with 620,000 new people entering the workforce.
Traisulee Traisoranakul, deputy government spokesperson, said on Sunday that statistics show that 39.82 million Thais were gainfully employed as of November last year, up by 620,000 from October.
She said the census found that Thailand has 58.73 million nationals who are at least 15 years old, and 40.36 million are at employment age. Of them 39.82 million are employed and 460,000 are not. She said 18.37 million are outside the workforce, including housewives, students, and seniors.
According to statistics, of the 39.82 million Thais employed, 12.34 million are in the agricultural sector and 27.48 million in non-agricultural sectors, including industry, commerce and service.
The figures can be further broken down based on work hours per week:
• At least 50 hours per week: 6.67 million people (5.95 million in October)
• 35-49 hours per week: 26.90 million (26.69 million in October)
• Fewer than 35 hours per week: 6.25 million (6.53 million in October)
Traisulee said the increase in people employed for more than 35 hours a week shows that there is more employment security and income.
She added that the number of unemployed people in November dropped by 95,000 persons in October to 4.65 million in November, while the unemployment rate dropped from 1.4% to 1.2%.
