Monthly social security contributions by employers and employees will be cut for the second time as a Covid-19 relief measure from September until November.
Pissamai Nitipaiboon, deputy secretary-general of the Social Security Office (SSO), said the cabinet has approved the SSO board's request for a reduced contribution over the three-month period starting next month.
The monthly contribution to the SSO by both employers and employees will be reduced to help them get through hardship caused by the pandemic.
An employee of a private company contributes 5% of up to 15,000 baht of their monthly salary -- or 750 baht toward the SSO. If they make less than 15,000 baht a month, they contribute less than 750 baht. The employer matches the contribution.
The September-November contributions will be cut from 5% to 2% a month for both employers and employees, according to the SSO.
The first reduction was implemented from March until May at the height of the pandemic in Thailand, during which time the monthly contribution by employees decreased from 5% to 1% a month while the portion of the employers dropped from 5% to 4%.
However, private businesses have demanded a deeper cut in contributions, to 1% a month for both employers and employees, during the September-November round. They also demanded a longer grace period from September until the end of the year.
In addition, the Federation of Thai Industries earlier called on the SSO to extend the period of unemployment benefits to be extended to people made jobless as a result of the pandemic, from 90 days to 150 days.
Meanwhile, the Thai embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, announced on its Facebook page that some of its staff had contracted Covid-19 and were undergoing treatment.
Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai said he had not received confirmation staff members had been infected. However, he said diplomats have taken good care of their health as they can be exposed to a high risk of infection.
Embassy staff have been visiting Thai expats and delivered food and supplies to them.
On Wednesday, the government reported seven new cases of coronavirus -- six quarantined returnees from the Middle East and one from the US, raising the total to 3,328.
Panprapa Yongtrakul, assistant spokeswoman of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, said one was a Thai masseuse aged 34 who arrived from the United Arab Emirates on July 29 and was quarantined in Chon Buri province. Her infection was detected on Sunday.