Thai workers urged to develop skills before Afta kicks in

If Thai workers did not develop their skills they would end up being badly affected because employers could opt for workers from other countries who are better trained and demand lower salaries, Nakorn Silapaacha said. He also urged the public sector to encourage employers and workers to join vocational skilldevelopment projects in order to become more competitive.

Though some largescale establishments and transnational firms provided their employees with training on a regular basis, they were few compared to the many medium and smallscale businesses that still ignored this matter, he said.

The Skill Development Promotion Act 2002 requires an employer with more than 100 workers to arrange training for 50 per cent of its staff every year, otherwise the employer must contribute Bt600 per worker to the Skill Development Promotion Fund, he said. The training budget can be used for tax deduction, he said, adding that more employers seemed to be interested in arranging job training for their workers after this law was implemented.

In order to campaign on the matter, the department has joined forces with the International Labour Organisation's Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific to host a seminar at the Labour Ministry on March 2324 so employers and workers can exchange their experiences and opinions on skill development.

In 2009, the Skill Development Promotion Fund reported that of the 14,469 business establishments with more than 100 employees each, 72 per cent or 10,243 establishments provided training according to legal requirements. In addition, 836 establishments paid the contribution to the fund, while 27.9 per cent or 4,046 workplaces did not provide training nor paid the contribution. Last year, the fund earned a total of Bt26.7 million in such contributions.