Thailand’s cabinet has approved the hiring of 10,000 Sri Lankan workers to fill a labor shortage caused by an exodus of Cambodian workers due to the two countries’ ongoing border dispute.
Speaking to reporters yesterday, Thai Labor Minister Pongkawin Jungrungruangkit said that more than 30,000 workers from Sri Lanka had already registered for the scheme, and that 10,000 will be sent to Thailand in its first stage, the Thai Enquirer reported.
“We will bring this group of workers in, and there will also be other groups of workers from countries such as the Philippines, Indonesia, and Nepal,” Pongkawin said.
The Ministry first suggested the plan in late July, shortly after Thailand and Cambodia fought a fierce five-day battle along their disputed border late last month. The conflict killed at least 43 people and displaced more than 300,000 on both sides of the border. It also prompted tens of thousands of Cambodian migrant workers to leave Thailand, due to fears of physical attacks on Khmer-speakers.
The Cambodian government has actively supported the repatriation of migrant workers, offering free transport from the border and assurances of job opportunities. It has also put a patriotic spin on the exodus, promising jobs and calling for returnees to contribute to Cambodia’s economic development. “As the job market in Cambodia continues to expand,” the government-aligned Khmer Times reported on August 6, “returnee workers hope to inspire others to follow their lead and contribute to the country’s economic growth.”
Incidents of violence against Cambodians and Khmer-speakers in Thailand have also been widely circulated on social media, creating the perception that the country is not safe for Cambodians – a perception that Phnom Penh has also subtly encouraged. Some reports in the Thai press have suggested that Cambodian workers fear that they might “lose their properties and citizenships” if they don’t come home.
Before the conflict began, over 520,000 Cambodians worked in Thailand, accounting for 12 percent of the country’s foreign workforce, according to official data cited by Reuters – but the real number may be considerably higher. One Thai source puts the number at 1.5 million. About 400,000 Cambodian laborers have returned since the beginning of the conflict, according to the Cambodian government, and hundreds reportedly continue to trickle across the border each day.
While Thai border authorities have facilitated the exodus, letting Cambodians pass through border gates that are otherwise closed to trade, it has created more economic headaches for the Thai government, which is currently battling a downturn in the tourism sector.
Cambodian migrant laborers, like their counterparts from Myanmar and Laos, fill a crucial niche in the Thai economy, particularly in the agricultural, construction, and manufacturing sectors. In order to stem the flow, the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Labor granted a six-month extension to Cambodians’ work permits this week, allowing them to remain in Thailand without crossing the border for renewals. It is apparent now that Thailand is willing to look further afield for workers to fill the void, something that it has historically been reluctant to do.
While Thailand and Cambodia signed a ceasefire on July 28, the situation remains tense, with both governments trading daily accusations of violations of the letter and spirit of the agreement. If the current dispute persists beyond the short term, it could see a more permanent realignment in the Thai and Cambodian labor markets.
It could also create social problems inside Cambodia, where labor migration has long served as a useful social safety valve for the government. The sudden arrival of large numbers of unemployed or underemployed workers could be a potential long-term source of political instability for Prime Minister Hun Manet and his Cambodian People’s Party, which has otherwise benefited from a surge of patriotic support since the outbreak of the conflict with Thailand.