Jobless up, major teacher shortages

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Jobless up, major teacher shortages

Published: 5 Sep 2012 at 14.11
Online news: Local News

The unemployment rate for the second quarter of the year has risen to 0.92 per cent, or 360,000 people, the Labour Ministry reported on Wednesday.

The jobless rate for the first quarter of 2012 stood at 0.66 per cent, or 260,000 people.

According to the ministry, 42.2 per cent of the unemployed were new university graduates, 23.38 per cent had secondary-school education, 13.68 per cent had high school education and 13.44 per cent had elementary education.

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boons
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Discussion 13 : 07 Sep 2012 at 04.1113
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This doesn't pass the logic test. In a country where unemployment is less than 1% you typically have rapid, uncontrolled wage inflation as producers compete for scarce labor.

So where are the government's proud figures of soaring salaries? The answer is likely the methodology for calculating "unemployment". (A methodology which produces an intentionally, politically-palatable low unemployment rate).
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banmebkk
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Discussion 12 : 06 Sep 2012 at 11.5912
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Unemployment rate is so slow because a big group of Thais don't work or even seek work. They just stay home or on their farm doing nothing. This is why there is a shortage of workers in all fields. I doubt it is less than 1%. Either way if they show how many citizens are non-workers (not working, not seeking a job) that percentage will be very high.
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ronniec
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Discussion 11 : 06 Sep 2012 at 07.2511
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If you define unemployment as somebody that is incapable, or not currently performing any kind of effort in return for money, then the figure of 0.92% is probably pretty accurate.

Don't forget that in Thailand, even if no money is involved, a foreigner must have a work permit in order to perform any action that requires effort, which is the labour department's definition of work.

I have to decline requests to help people improve their English because I no longer have a work permit, and don't want to risk deportation...........
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illiniboy
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Discussion 10 : 06 Sep 2012 at 05.5210
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one factor i don't see mentioned is in Thailand they are usually not interested in employing people over 50 yrs old. how many over 50 would like to work but can't so they have to resort to other means to support themselves, like the food stalls.
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whatajoke
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Discussion 9 : 06 Sep 2012 at 03.399
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0.9% unemployment seems unrealistically low, and if so would suggest this country is facing a manpower shortage crisis and should be implementing measures to allow foreigners in. English teachers is a case in point, since they make more and more difficult for foreigners to get teaching licences. The high number of unemployment graduates could be because no one thinks these inexperienced cherubs are worth the minimum 15k salaries the govt wants to set. Above all, even with a 2% unemployment rate you do have a strong platform to unionise and start demanding real wages for the blue collar workforce. And that must come from the bottom up, it can't be forced by legislation in a market driven labour environment. Of course that's not what the capitalistic policy makers in parliament are interested in.
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augratin
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Discussion 8 : 05 Sep 2012 at 23.208
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For those bickering about what constitutes unemployment, you may be interested in this very recent 27/7 Wall Street article: "Nine Countries Where Everyone Has A Job" (link given at the end of my post). It cites the World Bank as claiming that Thailand had a 2011 unemployment rate below 2%.

It cautions that comparing unemployment rates between developed and developing countries is very problematic because of the different way that people are classified as "employed". In Thailand, certainly a significant percentage of the "employed" are eking-out a meager existence on subsistence farming, or by selling 30 baht bowls of soup ten hours per day.

So while an unemployment rate like 2% sounds superficially great, it turns out that it's really just the silver lining in an otherwise dark could.

http://247wallst.com/2012/04/25/nine-countries-where-unemployment-does-not-exist/2/
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jacksprat
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Discussion 7 : 05 Sep 2012 at 21.107
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"a total of 58,805 teachers are needed to fill the vacancies in schools across the country." One does not just become a teacher. It takes considerable specialised training. The former teacher colleges were doing a good job of filling the demand, but they have been turned into rajabhat universities and teacher training is now downplayed. We are seeing the result. Also, a teacher's salary is not going to attract very many people these days either. I knew a young mathematics teacher with an MS degree who quit because he was having trouble supporting his family on little more than 10,000 baht a month.
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augratin
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Discussion 6 : 05 Sep 2012 at 20.236
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This really frosts my shorts. A population of hundreds - possibly thousands of native English speakers in the country is an enormous resource that can't be tapped because of what, foolish pride? Legal technicalities? The country is sitting on a gold mine mine of potential teachers.
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loyhaasip1
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Discussion 5 : 05 Sep 2012 at 19.345
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Disc 1 and 2.
Looking at your comments, you guys are clearly the proud products of a western education system.
Could either of you two enlighten us lesser people as to how Thailand actually arrives at its unemployment numbers, or does it really take figures from the sky as you say?
FYI Disc 2, the Education Minister is Suchart Thada-Thamrongvech, a him.
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upena
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Discussion 4 : 05 Sep 2012 at 18.544
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1. Never believe Thai Government when they use numbers that are never verified.

2. Why not use retired expats for teachers? Oh, yeah, cannot. Retired expats cannot work or volunteer if on a Non-Immigrant O-A visa.
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