BANGKOK, 11 January 2013 – Japanese investors in Thailand are ready to adjust themselves to the minimum wage increase policy while calling for the Thai government to help with the current labor shortage.
After meeting with Japanese Ambassador to Thailand Shigekazu Sato, Thai Minister of Labor Phadermchai Sasomsap said the ambassador had informed him that Japanese investors in Thailand were in need of more workers. He assured Mr Sato that the Ministry of Labor was ready to help but the investors had to be specific in their needs in terms of number of workers, type of workers, qualifications, salary and welfare.
The Ministry of Labor will ask the Ministry of Education to produce personnel that meet the investors’ needs. Before graduation, students will be sent to work as interns so that they can be hired immediately after they finish school.
Meanwhile, the Japanese ambassador said the Japanese investors still wanted to continuously expand their investments in Thailand albeit the 300-baht minimum wage policy, which had somewhat affected their cost of production. However, no significant effects from the wage increase have been reported so far. The investors expressed their readiness to adjust themselves to and abide by the Thai government’s policy.
