5 hours Ago
The cabinet has approved in principle increasing the number of foreign workers at businesses to deal with the shortage. According to government spokesman Jirayu Huangsab, under Thai laws the number of foreign workers at a single business is limited to a ceiling of 100 individuals, and for stateless foreign workers, the limit is 50 per business. Mr Jirayu said Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra addressed this issue during the cabinet meeting, noting the law limiting the number of foreign workers has been in place since 1979.
However, the economic landscape has significantly changed in 45 years, making it appropriate to increase the proportion of foreign workers per business, she said. Ms Paetongtarn tasked the Interior Ministry with studying and determining a suitable number that does not affect national security. Thai laws regulating the employment of foreign workers specify the types of jobs or careers that foreigners can pursue, divided into three lists: prohibited businesses, restricted businesses and conditionally permitted businesses.
Prohibited businesses are jobs foreigners are not allowed to perform, such as operating newspapers, radio broadcasting, farming and livestock raising, while restricted businesses include jobs related to national security or those that may impact cultural heritage, traditions or customs, in which foreigners can engage in only with cabinet approval. Conditionally permitted businesses are jobs where Thai nationals are not yet prepared to compete. Foreigners can work in these industries only after obtaining approval from the Foreign Business Commission.
In a separate development, Mr Jirayu said the cabinet meeting also approved the transfer of a concession for energy exploration in the Gulf of Thailand, Block G 12/2005 where Total Energy holds a 33.33% stake, to PTTEP International. This will make PTTEP International the sole shareholder with a 100% stake in the concession.
However, the transfer of this ownership share will not affect the royalties that the government will receive. Currently, the ownership structure of the concession is as follows: PTTEP International holds 44.5%, Thai Energy holds 22.
22% and Total Energy holds 33.33%. The concession for this exploration block is set to expire in 2035.
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