Event

National Consultation Seminar on assessing the economic contribution of labour migration in Thailand (ECLM project)

A National Consultation Seminar was held in Bangkok on September 15, 2015, and brought together more than 45 policymakers, government officials and experts to discuss on various aspects of the role of migrant workers in Thailand, in the context of the "Assessing the economic contribution of labour migration in developing countries as countries of destination" (ECLM) project. The agenda for this meeting can be downloaded below.

Held in Bangkok on 15 September 2015, the Consultation Seminar was the first in-country event in Asia for the EU-funded project “Assessing the Economic Contribution of Labour Migration in Developing Countries”, organized in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour.

The seminar brought together more than 45 policymakers, government officials and experts. Opening statements were made by Mr Nakorn Silpa-Archa, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Labour; Ms Luisa Ragher, Deputy Head of Delegation, European Union Delegation to Thailand; and Mr Maurizio Bussi, Director, ILO DWT for East and South-East Asia and the Pacific.

The project was presented by the project team (Mr Theo Sparreboom and Mr Marcus Böhme), which was followed by presentations and reflections on migration policies, including the perspectives of employers’ and workers’ organizations on current migration issues. The first part of the seminar was moderated by Mr Max Tunon, ILO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. The afternoon session on research was moderated by Mr Paul Tacon, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

The seminar generated rich discussions on the role of migrant labour in Thailand. The relatively favourable position of the country in terms of economic development has contributed to significant migration flows from neighbouring countries. Labour migration was discussed in the context of rapid demographic change, labour shortages and dependence of economic sectors on migrant workers, while migration policies cannot cope with current numbers of migrant workers. The need for decent work and skills development to enhance the economic contribution of migrant workers was also discussed.

Participants agreed on the need for more and more regular data and analysis of the role of migrant workers in Thailand, discussed the availability of existing data, and considered the possibilities to expand databases and potential topics for research.