The minimum wage is currently 203 Baht (about 6 US dollars) per day in Bangkok and much less in the provinces. For example: Chonburi 180 Baht, Krabi 165 Baht and Surat Thani 155 Baht.
Minimum wage laborers
Salaries in the Hospitality Industry
Salaries for hotel staff consist of three parts: -- the basic monthly salary -- the service charge paid according to hotel income -- bonuses for the year to be paid at certain festivals
The service charge can vary between 0 Baht (family business) and 5000 Baht (international hotel).
A bonus can be just 1000 Baht up to 2 monthly salaries.
International hotels pay relatively high wages
Most hotel employees do not earn enough to pay all the necessary monthly payments (some typical values): -- room rent (3000 Baht), -- electricity (500 Baht), -- phone bills (300 Baht), -- food, -- clothing, -- motorcycle installments (2000 Baht), -- insurance (1000 Baht), -- school fees for children.
Therefore you may see your room maid work as a waiter in a restaurant in the evenings. Many employees who can not live in the house of the parents share a small apartment with one, two or even three friends. If the hotel has a van to pick up the staff in the morning they may give up the motorcycle (bicycles are no option as they carry the stigma of poverty).
Prices
In recent years prices remained relatively stable with an average inflation rate between 2% and 5.5% (in 2009). However, this has been achieved with the help of government price-capping for certain consumer goods. If rice, mama noodles or cooking oil prices go up this may constitute a drama for some consumers.
Many people living in rural areas especially in the populous northeast were forced to move to large cities to look for jobs due to the changing economic situation. Prices on the world market for agricultural products dropped. Workers lost their jobs in the face of a reduction in export receipts and increased mechanization. This rural exodus created a new problem in Thailand in recent years – unemployment.
Underemployed, but not unemployed
Currently the unemployment rate lies between 1.5% and 2.5%. There is still a high demand for employees in the industrial and hospitality sector, but many job seekers lack the necessary qualifications and skills. The same applies for graduates whose rate of unemployment is increasing.
Many students choose their studies in the hope of gaining high status positions in the government sector. Favorite fields of studies are philosophy, physiology and law, while industry is crying out for engineers. However, the situation is slowly improving.
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