Meanwhile, a proposal to set up three centres to receive and send back migrant workers at key border crossing points will go to Cabinet today. Employment Department officials have said they expect ministers to approve setting up new centres in Mae Sot, Nong Khai and Sa Kaeo next month to help manage the arrival and departure of foreign workers through legal channels, as well as to teach them about Thailand’s labour laws.

The study – by the National Security Council (NSC) in collaboration with the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI) and Chulalongkorn University’s Asian Research Centre for Migration (ARCM) – urges the government to better handle low-skilled migrant workers. Asean mechanisms currently only manage the migration of skilled workers, the study found.

Notable examples are the Asean Mutual Recognition Agreements designed to ease the mobility of workers in eight professions in Asean countries. A Qualifications Referencing Framework enables comparisons of work standards among Asean countries. But devices for low-skilled labour are yet to be introduced at a regional level. Only bilateral agreements are available at present.

This is a concern because of the huge demand in Thailand for low-skilled migrant workers to boost various sectors. The Bt300 minimum wage policy has also caused some Thai employers to turn to migrant workers [who they can often pay less], the study said.

Migrant workers were also more likely to accept hard-labour jobs increasingly being shunned by Thai workers, it said.

Migrant workers, especially from neighbouring countries, have been more likely to enter the Kingdom as tourists and seek ways to work illegally due to te high cost and complexity of procedures required to issue legal working permits.

The study warned that mismanaging this large inflow of migrant workers could cause Thailand big problems -transnational crimes, unhygienic living, human trafficking and even slavery, which could draw further concern from the international community.

So, the study suggested that Thai authorities immediately stop allowing migrant workers to delay registration on an annual basis. This would avoid confusion over its policies and labaour management – and also make room for state agencies to import workers into Thailand.

The Labour Ministry should also draw up more government-to-government agreements to facilitate the entry of low-skilled migrants to work in the Kingdom legally. It should also focus on emerging sending countries such as Vietnam, China and Bangladesh, it said.

Thai authorities should also revise its implementation of temporary border passes, which are currently exploited by a number of migrants who have come to Thailand permanently instead of returning to their home countries.

The authorities also need to increase punishments for employers of illegal migrant workers and corrupt officers who exploit the underground labour market, the study said. It should also allow workers to shift employers with more flexibility – to let workers be more dependent on legal instruments than their employers.

For public health reasons, the government should establish devices to provide healthcare for migrant workers, as well as forcing employers to purchase health insurance for migrant employees. The government should also regularly and thoroughly track exact records on the lives and number of migrant workers as a database for further management.

The study was presented yesterday by the NSC, the TDRI labour development research director Yongyuth Chalamwong and ARCM adviser Supang Chantavanich.