Selected area minimum wage hike to help fill vacancies: TCC
The Thai Chamber of Commerce (TCC) on Tuesday estimated that the government’s policy of raising the minimum wage in 10 tourism provinces to 400 baht per day will attract workers from other sectors to shift to tourism, thus further boosting the industry’s capacity.
The move was announced on Tuesday evening by the Labour Ministry following a meeting of the tripartite wage committee, which is made up of representatives from the business, labour and government sectors.
The committee approved a minimum wage increase to 400 baht per day for tourism-related businesses and four-star hotels with at least 50 employees in some areas in 10 provinces, effective April 13.
The hike will be applied in Bangkok's Pathumwan and Watthana districts; the area in Krabi under the jurisdiction of Tambon Ao Nang administrative organisation; Pattaya City in Chon Buri, Nakhon Chiang Mai municipality, Chiang Mai; Hua Hin municipality, Prachuap Khiri Khan; Phang Nga's Tambon Khuk Khak municipality, all of Phuket, Rayong's Tambon Ban Phae, Songkhla's Hat Yai municipality, and Surat Thani's Koh Samui district.
TCC chairman Sanan Angubolkul said the increased wages would help fill job positions that have been vacant since the Covid-19 outbreak, as well as help current workers in the hospitality industry who are still recovering from the impact of the pandemic, which severely affected the tourism industry during 2020-2023.
“Four-star hotels and large tourism/service businesses in these provinces still require additional workers to cope with increasing numbers of tourists,” he said. “The wage hike should create an influx of labour to the tourism sector, thus helping to strengthen the growth of Thailand’s tourism industry in a sustainable manner.”
Wisit Limleucha, TCC’s vice chairman, added that the suitable rate for wage hikes will differ from area to area, and depend on several factors, including the discretion of the wage subcommittee of each province, the economic situation in each area, and employers’ financial capacity.
“I believe the wage committee has carefully considered all the factors before deciding to raise the minimum daily wage to 400 baht in these provinces,” he said. “This rate should be enough to sustain employees’ living costs in the current economic climate, while not putting so great a burden on the employers that it would affect their businesses.”
