The escalating conflict in Israel has put the local spotlight on overseas Thai workers, with more than 7,000 people remaining on the evacuation list from the region, with some Thais even abducted by militants.
According to the Bank of Thailand, the estimated remittance of overseas Thai workers amounted to 184 billion baht in the first nine months of this year, with Israel employing the second-largest number of Thai workers, following Taiwan.
These expats are forecast to generate 243 billion baht for Thailand in 2023.
In addition to farming, the hospitality sector in the Middle East continues to attract skilled workers with highly competitive salaries, especially experienced Thai therapists.
Krod Rojanastien, board advisor for the Thai Spa Association, said the Pheu Thai Party pledge to increase the minimum wage to 600 baht by the end of its term would not stop Thais from relocating for jobs, as the average income for Thai therapists overseas greatly exceeds this rate.
There is no age limit for therapists, so older workers with years of experience are in high demand in this sector, said Mr Krod.
Professional spa therapists from Thailand are in high demand in the Middle East because of their strong hospitality mindset and skills training, he said.
There are around 120,000 registered therapists and thousands of them are working abroad, said Mr Krod.
He said the average income of spa workers at five-star hotels in the Middle East is 2-3 times higher than at such hotels in Thailand.
For instance, a therapist in Thailand can earn a minimum of 20,000 baht per month, but therapists who relocate to Saudi Arabia have a starting rate of 60,000-70,000 baht per month.
Demand for Thai spa therapists will continue to grow as many countries in the Middle East, particularly Saudi Arabia, ease their labour import regulations to fill positions in the hospitality sector as their governments set long-term development plans to become health and wellness destinations, said Mr Krod. This is part of plans to diversify from dependency on oil.
"Hotels in Saudi Arabia and many other countries in the region are looking for Thai therapists as they have aggressive expansion plans for the hospitality sector," he said.
"Many Thai hotel brands that have expanded in this region may also draw a large number of Thai workers."
Hotels in the Middle East offer the highest wages for therapists as the hospitality sector in Europe struggles with economic woes, said Mr Krod.
He said most five-star hotels in Thailand avoided a therapist shortage by offering high service charges that contribute up to half of a spa worker's income.
However, independent spas, particularly small operators, utilise only 50% of the therapists employed pre-pandemic, said Mr Krod.
"There's a high likelihood we could see a further brain drain in the hospitality sector as Thai workers are among the most in demand in this field, especially in countries aggressively expanding their tourism industry with the ability to pay higher wages than Thailand," said Chamnan Srisawat, president of the Tourism Council of Thailand.
However, Mr Chamnan said more hospitality workers going overseas should not severely impact Thai firms if the government implements measures to support employment in this sector.
The government needs to encourage operators to use digital tools for positions that can be automated, in addition to attracting more graduates to train and work in the hospitality sector, he said.
