Over 700 foreigners caught in Thai-reserved jobs, mainly in tourism hotspots
Over 700 foreigners have been caught working in occupations reserved for Thais in the past six months, the government announced on Thursday.
Government spokesman Kharom Polpornklang said the Employment Department crackdown netted 721 foreigners – mainly street vendors, hairdressers, drivers, and masseurs – following complaints from locals.
The complaints centred on tourism provinces.
The department checked 25,628 businesses around the country in the first half of fiscal 2024 (October 1-March 18) and took legal action against 820 of them for unlawfully hiring foreigners in reserved occupations. It also checked 306,577 foreigners and took legal action against 1,689 of them. Of these, 721 were charged with working in jobs reserved for Thais and the rest with other offences.
Most of the foreigners working in Thai jobs were found in Bangkok and surrounding provinces, Phuket, Koh Samui, Pattaya and Chiang Mai.
Myanmar people were the largest contingent, with 316 caught, followed by Cambodians (175), Laotians (106), Indians (65) Vietnamese (42), Chinese (5), and 12 other nationalities.
Most were caught vending goods on streets, hairdressing, driving, and giving massage services, the spokesman added.
