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ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Jobless-rate-shines-spotlight-on-education-system-30290923.html

LABOUR

PETCHANET PRATRUANGKRAI
SUCHAT SRITAMA,
WATCHIRANONT THONGTEP
THE NATION July 20, 2016 1:00 am

Chen Namchaisiri

INCREASING unemployment in Thailand during the past few months reflects the lack of new investment in the country while most industries still lack skilled labour, showing the failure of the country’s education sector, according to the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI).

However, although the unemployment rate rose last month to 1.2 per cent, business lobbies don’t see it as a problem yet, as most industries have maintained their employment levels. The higher jobless rate is a result of new university graduates being unable to find jobs because of the lack of new investment, while some of them are unable to serve industry demands.

Chen Namchaisiri, chairman of the FTI, said most industries had not laid off existing workers as many of them still employ foreign workers and need skilled labour.

He said recent layoffs in the auto industry were the result of the expiration of labour contracts, and not because of slowing business growth.

He added that new bachelor’s-degree graduates had faced difficulty finding jobs because their skills did not serve industry demand, which is mostly for vocational-school graduates.

Chen said the higher unemployment rate reflected the failure of the Thai education system to produce workers to serve industry growth.

Particularly with the government’s focus on high-technology industry clusters, it should develop the country’s education system to focus on producing skilled workers and improving the image of the vocational schools, he said.

“Thai vocational schools must be rebranded. The federation has encouraged the vocational schools to cooperate with international vocational schools to improve their course syllabus and image so that more Thai parents will be willing to send their [children] to study at vocational schools, which could guarantee their employment after graduation.”

The FTI has been cooperating with a number of foreign vocational schools to promote professional careers. Targeted countries with experience in producing quality vocational graduates include Japan, Austria and Germany.

According to the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Board, unemployment has risen continuously from an average of 0.6-0.9 per cent a few years ago to 1.2 per cent last month.

Moreover, nearly one-third (27 per cent) of the 270,000 students who graduated last year could not find a job, while many industries still need to hire skilled workers, mostly from vocational schools.

The Office of the Higher Education Commission reported more than half of last year’s 270,000 graduates took degrees in social sciences, humanities, and education sciences, for which there is little demand in industry.

Bhumindr Harinsut, vice chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, said higher unemployment was a result of business failing to expand or attract new investment amid low economic growth, but |there were no sign of layoffs currently.

High technology

He said 70-80 per cent of graduates could not respond to industries’ and businesses’ demands, so the unemployment rate had increased for the past few months.

Deputy Commerce Minister Suvit Maesincee admitted that the government’s promotion of the “Thailand 4.0” model would cause unemployment among unskilled labourers. The government will try to relieve this problem and promote the development of the education system.

THAI UNION Group Plc, the largest shelf-stable tuna processor and owner of a portfolio of leading global seafood brands, will immediately eliminate recruitment fees at its factories and processing plants for all workers from within and outside Thailand.

Thai Union’s primarily Thai, Myanmar and Cambodian workers are recruited in Thailand or directly through formal channels engaging licensed recruitment agents in Cambodia and Myanmar.

The move follows the company’s continued development of an ethical migrant worker recruitment policy and has been welcomed by the Migrant Workers Rights Network (MWRN), whose mapping of all Thai Union’s factories and processing plants this year highlighted challenges in recruitment as requiring an urgent response.

In recent months, Thai Union has focused on reducing the potential for abuse and extortion by agents and brokers in the recruitment of migrant workers.

By committing significant resources and time to dealing directly and building stronger relationships with recruitment agents in Cambodia and Myanmar, the company has been able to map out recruitment processes more effectively, with MWRN providing oversight and supervision, thereby reducing costs and complexities.

Darian McBain, global director of sustainable development for MWRN, said Thai Union’s ethical migrant recruitment policy has already been applied to the use of agents for all migrant worker registration processes in Thailand, such that its workers cover no additional costs should Thai Union choose to utilise agents for these processes.

This policy will now be extended to all foreign recruitment for this year.

“One of the key platforms in developing a truly sustainable future is the need for all employees to have access to safe and freely chosen employment.

“Debt bondage resulting from recruitment has no place in our workplaces,” he said.

Andy Hall, international affairs adviser for MWRN, said Thai Union was moving openly, cooperatively and quickly to address MWRN’s remaining concerns regarding working conditions of its workers.

MWRN has recently completed factory mapping exercises across Thai Union Manufacturing, Thai Union Group factory, Thai Union Seafood and Songkhla Canning Company, with complete transparency and open access during site visits alongside full cooperation in sharing all internal documents, audit materials and information relating to key areas of workers’ conditions.

“Not only have MWRN’s team of migrant worker leaders had an opportunity to observe positive practices which benefit Thai Union’s workers, but we also found strong cooperation and a willingness to fix compliance and welfare concerns we raised,” he said.

Thai Union has been working with MWRN’s leadership since 2013 to address migrant worker concerns about conditions in Thailand’s major export factories.

In January, Thai Union and MWRN formally launched a cooperative project to validate progress in addressing remaining concerns in migrant workers’ conditions in these factories.