Joblessness among young men and women in Thailand has reached a level unseen in recent years due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO).
Youth employment fell by 7% in the first quarter of 2021 from the fourth quarter of 2019, the United Nations agency said in its Thailand Labour Market Update released this week.
The youth unemployment rate increased by 3 percentage points for both men and women, reaching a high of 6% and 8%, respectively.
According to the report, pandemic-related restrictions particularly affected employment in smaller establishments with fewer than 50 workers. Youth employment in these establishments suffered the most, falling by 18% for young men and by 24% for young women.
“If small establishments were one of the channels for youth to get employment, the channel has severely narrowed,” the report noted.
“The impact of Covid-19 on the Thai economy has seen young people and small establishments especially hard hit,” said Graeme Buckley, the ILO country director for Thailand, Cambodia and Laos.
“Targeted responses focusing on key sectors and segments of the workforce are vital for recovery, as are continuing efforts to ensure everyone receives a vaccination, including migrant workers.”
Between the fourth quarter of 2019 and the first quarter of 2021, total working hours fell by 7%, or a decline in full-time equivalent employment by 2 million across the whole workforce, the ILO said.
A fairly strong recovery in working hours and employment in the last half of 2020 was reversed in the first quarter of 2021 due to the re-emerging waves of the pandemic.
A looming concern for the workforce overall is the impact the pandemic has had on Thailand throughout all of 2021.
The cumulative and drawn-out negative impact of pandemic-related restrictions on incomes, employment, hours of work and productivity is a serious concern. – Bangkok Post
