Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 1995, published 82nd ILC session (1995)

Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122) - Thailand (Ratification: 1969)

1. The Committee notes the Government's report for a period ending September 1994, which contains information in reply to its previous requests. It also notes the information contained in the report on the application of Convention No. 88 for the period ending 30 June 1994.

2. The Committee notes from the data supplied in the report and contained in the Year Book of Labour Statistics of Thailand for 1993, that the active population and employment grew over the period, while the estimated unemployment rate was around 3.4 per cent in 1993, taking into account the seasonally inactive population and persons who are available for but not looking for work. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would supplement these overall statistics in its next report by providing data or information on the trends of underemployment and employment in the informal sector, so that it can assess the situation of vulnerable categories of workers.

3. The Government states in its report that the rapid growth of the economy over the past 20 years has been accompanied by a worrying growth in inequality of income and regional disparities. In this respect, the Committee requests the Government to supply information on the measures which have been taken or are envisaged to remedy this trend in the distribution of income and to promote a more balanced regional development, as well as rural development through agricultural and non-agricultural activities. The Committee notes the overall growth and employment objectives of the Seventh National Development Plan (1992-96) and would be grateful if the Government would provide any provisional evaluation that is available of the attainment of these objectives. Please also describe the manner in which it is ensured that measures taken in such fields as budgetary and monetary policies, trade policy, and prices, incomes and wages policies contribute to the attainment of employment objectives. In the field of labour market policies, please describe the measures taken to adapt the workforce to structural changes occurring as a result of technological developments, particularly in the textile sector, or as a result of the privatization of public enterprises. More generally, the Committee would be grateful if the Government would supply the information requested in the report form on the measures taken "within the framework of a coordinated economic and social policy" with a view to pursuing "as a major goal" full, productive and freely chosen employment (Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention).

4. The Committee notes with interest the information on the development of the employment services and the promotion of vocational training. It notes that the statistics on the results achieved by the employment services, according to the Government, reflect the improvement in their effectiveness. However, the Government considers that the inadequate skills level of jobseekers remains a major obstacle to their employment and emphasizes the need to improve the skills of persons in the underprivileged categories of the population in order to increase their employment opportunities and their income level. In this context, the Committee notes the principal objectives of the vocational training policy, and particularly the guidelines for the development of human resources contained in the 1992-96 Plan. It requests the Government to continue supplying information on the various measures adopted in this field, and on the manner in which education and training policies are coordinated with prospective employment opportunities.

5. The Committee notes with interest the establishment of an Advisory Council for National Labour Development, on which the organizations of employers and workers are represented, with the function of gathering and submitting to the Government suggestions on its employment and training policies. However, the Committee considers that, in view of the proportion of rural and informal sector workers in the active population, it would also be particularly appropriate for the representatives of persons working in these sectors to be associated with consultations on employment policies. It requests the Government to continue supplying information on the manner in which the representatives of all the persons affected are consulted, in accordance with Article 3 of the Convention.

6. The Committee notes the Government's statement that it will provide the information requested in its next report on the action taken as a result of ILO technical cooperation activities in the field of employment (Part V of the report form).