The cabinet on Tuesday agreed in principle job support measures worth 46.9 billion baht to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) retain workers and create new jobs.
According to government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, the cabinet has acknowledged the job support measures approved last Thursday by the Centre for Economic Situation Administration (CESA).
He said the measures aim to help SMEs that have 200 or fewer employees retain 95% of their workers, and encourage entrepreneurs to increase new hires.
The new support measures will see the government hand out 3,000 baht a month to each worker from November 2021 to January 2022.
The measure will cover 480,122 SMEs, which are expected to help retain employees and create new jobs for a total of 5.04 million workers.
If an employer agrees to create jobs, the government will also pay 3,000 baht a month to each new worker they hire during this period.
This scheme is expected to create 252,009 new jobs between December 2021 and January 2022.
Employers and employees are required to register for the Social Security Fund and make contributions under Section 33 from October this year.
Employers are also required to retain 95% of their employees while participating in the support scheme.
If employers fail to maintain their employment at the required level in any month, the government will not contribute to the budget for those months.
Employers must register for the scheme from Oct 20 to Nov 20, while the government intends to make the first payments in November after the government's planning unit, the National Economic and Social Development Council, approved its budget, which will be funded by the second 500-billion-baht emergency loan decree.
In a separate development, the cabinet yesterday approved the establishment of six special promotion zones in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) to prepare in advance for investment expansion over the next 10 years.
Six special promotion zones cover 6,884 rai of land, aimed at drawing new investment worth 300 billion baht over the next decade. The six zones comprise Rojana Industrial Park, Laem Chabang, Chon Buri; Rojana Industrial Park, Nong Yai, Chon Buri; Asia Clean Industrial Estate, Rayong; Eggo Industrial Estate, Rayong; WHA Industrial Estate, Rayong; and Innovation, Digital and High Technology Centre, Ban Chang, Rayong.