DOE director-general Pairoj Chotikasathien said on Wednesday that the Labour Ministry planned to solve the labour-shortage problem after many were worried that illegal immigrants would spread Covid-19.
They also questioned the process to import foreign workers.
The ministry planned to solve the problem in two ways:
1. Open the country to 167,961 foreign workers from three nations under the MoU.
Employers are seeking 117,029 Myanmar workers, 38,933 Cambodians and 11,999 Laotians. Precisely 144,709 workers have been given authorisation, with around 6,000 Cambodian and Lao workers set to work under the MoU.
Employers are mostly seeking Myanmar workers, but there was an obstacle in bringing in these due to the political situation in that country, he said.
2. Thailand is likely to authorise work permits for 2,132,469 Myanmar, Lao and Cambodian workers so they can remain in the country.
As for setting up a one-stop service point in their countries, it is a delicate move that cannot be carried out at the moment.
Pairoj asked employers who want to hire illegal workers to first think of health safety and risks from Covid-19. He asked them not to hire such workers as the department will import them legally under the MoU.
