About six million Thais have been rendered jobless, since the COVID-19 pandemic struck Thailand early last year, and 1.3 million university and college graduates are unlikely to find jobs or have opportunities to develop their capabilities, according to Khempetch Lenaphan of Thai Health Promotion Foundation (ThaiHealth) on Friday.
Citing a survey of people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, conducted by the National Statistical Office in cooperation with Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI) and the UN Children’s Fund, she said that Thai people aged 15 to 24, especially those in their last year at university, are likely to be unemployed after graduation, because most private companies have halted or slowed recruitment.
Moreover, Khempetch noted that most Thai workers do not have savings plans and, hence, do not have a nest-egg to rely upon if they are laid off.
She also pointed out that most workers are not capable of adjusting to alternative jobs once they are laid off.
