The Labour Ministry will open job placement centres early next month for elderly people willing to work, in a bid to cope with the ageing society, labour permanent secretary Puntrik Smiti said on Monday.
The centres would open registers for elderly people seeking employment, and compile their profiles for matching with interested employers. Some potential employers were already requesting similar data from the ministry, she said.
As an incentive, businesses that hire elderly workers will be able to claim a double tax deduction based on the costs incurred in providing employment, ML Puntrik said.
The Labour Ministry would amend relevant laws to facilitate the employment of people aged 55 years and over. That would include laws on labour protection, social security and elderly people's welfare.
Based on 2014 data, Thailand has about 10 million elderly people accounting for about 15% of its total population. The percentage would rise to 30% over the next two decades and the government had an obligation to take care of the elderly, ML Puntrik said.
One-third of elderly people have an income below the poverty line, and the percentage of people of working age is declining, she said.
This year, 63,000 elderly people were entitled to age allowances which range from 720 to 3,425 baht a month. The international standard is that the elderly should have an income of at least 40% of their past monthly salary, but the highest rate of age allowance in Thailand was still far below that level, ML Puntrik said.