The Department of Employment has intensified its crackdown on illegal migrant workers and their employers over the past two months, resulting in the detention of 1,179 workers. The figure represents less than 1% of the 162,130 workers whose documents were inspected at 12,983 workplaces nationwide from June 5 until Thursday (Aug 1). Violations were identified at 438 workplaces, or 3.3% of the total checked.
Migrants working without a permit or engaging in unauthorized jobs face fines ranging from 5,000 to 50,000 baht, deportation, and a two-year ban from reapplying for work permits in Thailand. Employers who hire illegal migrant workers or assign legal workers to unauthorized jobs face fines of 10,000 to 100,000 baht per worker. Repeat offenders risk up to a year in prison, fines between 50,000 and 200,000 baht per employee, and a three-year ban on hiring new migrant workers.
Among the 1,179 detained migrant workers, 724 were from Myanmar, 190 from Cambodia, 162 from Laos, 22 from Vietnam, and 81 from other countries. The crackdown, which involved various agencies, represents Thailand’s ongoing efforts to regulate its labor market and enforce immigration laws.
