BANGKOK (NNT) - The National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) has reported that Thailand’s unemployment rate in the second quarter of this year was the lowest since the beginning of the global pandemic in 2020.


According to NESDC Secretary-General Danucha Pichayanan, unemployment in the Q2 2022 was at 550,000, representing 1.37% of the total workforce of 39.8 million people. The figure was lower than the first-quarter unemployment rate of 1.53%, as well as 1.69% in 2020 and 1.93% in 2021.


Employment in the second quarter meanwhile totaled around 39 million, a 3.1% increase year on year. The increase was attributable to a rise in employment in the non-agricultural sector, which employed 27.4 million people during the period. Manufacturing, wholesale/retail and transportation/storage sectors have also all reported employment growth.


The NESDC chief cited the improving unemployment rate as an indication that the economy is rebounding from the impact of the pandemic. He added that the economic recovery has resulted in increased demand for workers in the private sector, including migrant workers.


Thailand currently has around 2.2 million migrant workers, down from 3.1 million before the pandemic.

Thailand Reports Lowest Unemployment Since Start of Pandemic