The Labour Ministry’s Central Wage Committee has agreed to hold back on a plan to set a minimum hourly wage for part-time workers, committee chairman Somkiat Chayasriwong said on Friday.
The committee accepted the recommendation of a sub-panel set up to look into the issue, he said.
The panel reported that a minimum hourly wage would not be appropriate at this time because there is no regulation regarding specific hours worked by part-time employees, said Mr Somkiat, the permanent secretary for labour.
If an hourly minimum wage were set it could widely affect the labour market. Employers might use more part-time workers because it would cost less. The overall expense would be cheaper as employers would not be responsible for their welfare, including social security payments, and other costs.
The Central Wage Committee meeting on Friday directed the sub-panel to study in detail the possible impact of a minimum hourly wage on employers, workers, the labour market and the country’s overall economic outlook, Mr Somkiat said.
The panel's final conclusions would then be considered and a decision made whether to set an hourly minimum rate for part-time workers, he said.