LABOUR SHORTAGE HOLDS BACK NEW PROJECTS
By Nanchanok Wongsamuth
The construction industry’s lack of
workers has resulted in many projects not being able to expand, says the
Construction Institute of Thailand (CIT).
Chaporn Oonjitt, executive director
of the CIT, which is under the Industry Ministry, said some works, especially
housing projects, have been delayed, while developers have been reluctant to
take on new ones.
The supply of labour is not
sufficient to support the large number of public and private projects being
launched this year and next year, said Mr Chakporn. He said the construction sector is
expected to grow by 15% this year, with an estimated investment value exceeding
900 billion baht.
“[The industry] cannot speed up
expansion due to a shortage of 300,000 workers,” said Mr. Chakporn.
The National Statistical Office said
the industrial sector requires an average of 2.3 to 2.6 million workers per
year, but the demand this year is as high as 2.9 million, as several projects
are expanding.“We must also admit the Thai labour
force is ageing and new workers entering the pool usually choose jobs in the
service sector rather than manufacturing,” said Mr Chakporn.
The construction sector is usually considered
by outsiders as hard work despite the private sector’s efforts to replace human
labour with technology. The CIT is joining hands with the
Labour Ministry to come up with positions that require specialized knowledge
such as tower crane controllers, machinery controllers and construction
smelters.
It is also cooperating with
educational institutes to propose ways to develop a curriculum to prepare
qualified new workers for the construction sector.The curriculum will be proposed to
the Education Ministry.The labour ministry may allow entry
to more low –skilled migrant workers from Myanmar and Cambodia. Mr Chakporn said the construction
industry will also be affected by Myanmar urging its workers living abroad to
return home to support the building of new sport stadiums and infrastructure in
preparation for the SEA Games next year.
AS MANY AS 100, 000 Myanmar workers
will be required for these projects. More than 200, 000 workers in the
construction sector are foreigners, mostly from Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia.
Some 400 CIT members need 100, 000 foreign workers.
“The average age of workers in the
industry is getting higher, as the younger generation is not interested in
working in this sector,” said Mr. Chakporn.
