Thailand's employment rises in Q4 on increased tourism

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: A woman works in a restaurant in Bangkok, Thailand September 11, 2023. Thailand's new government approved a raft of policies to lower the cost of living, suspend farmers' debts, draw more tourists and boost incomes. REUTERS/Jorge Silva/File Ph

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's employment rose 1.7% in the final quarter of 2023 from a year earlier, helped by the tourism sector, after a 1.3% year-on-year increase in the previous quarter, the state planning agency said on Monday.

Jobs in the hotel and restaurant sector rose 8% annually in the final quarter of 2023 as the number of tourists increased, the National Economic and Social Development Council said in a statement.

The jobless rate dropped to 0.81% in the October-December period versus 0.99% in the prior three months, the agency said.

Thailand's definition of unemployment is narrow, however, and counts as jobless those who do not work a single hour in a surveyed week. Analysts say the figures do not catch Thailand's significant unofficial economy.

In the fourth quarter of 2023, Thailand had a workforce of 40.7 million, up from 40.5 million in the prior quarter, the planning agency said.

Thailand's employment rises in Q4 on increased tourism

Thailand's employment rises in Q4 on increased tourism

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