5m seniors must work to live

NSO says several have formal training

5m seniors must work to live
In the Chatuchak area, a mature fruit and vegetable merchant. ( File photo: Onnucha Hutasingh )

According to the National Statistical Office ( NSO ), more than 5 million senior citizens still need to work to make a living, and the majority do not have formal education.

NSO lieutenant director  Suwannee Wangkan reported that Thailand had 13 according to the benefits of its annual study, which was conducted in July and August of last year. 64 million people aged over 60 years old, or on 19. 5 % of the government’s 66 million people.

Of them, 5. 11 million, or about 37. 5 %– 48. 1 % people and 29. 4 % females– had labor, an increase from 4. 74 million in 2022, Ms Suwannee said.

Most older people lived in the east, northern and southern regions, she said. In Bangkok, about 25 % of the older people is employed, she added.

Additionally, the NSO found a rise in the number of elders who work and reside alone, she said.

Of the 5. 11 million elderly who need to operate, 68. 1 % never attended college or completed secondary school, 15. 6 % previously completed primary school, 11. 3 % previously completed secondary institution and 5 % previously completed school, she said.

More than half, or 59. 3 %, function in the agriculture and fishing industries, 30. 10 % in the service industry and 5 % in the food industry. 2 % in production, she said.

In terms of repayment, the common aged employee earns 12,151 ringgit per month, but the common for those in crops is 5,796 ringgit, she said.

Additionally, the NSO discovered that 86 percent of seniors are casual workers without social security benefits. 8 % of them experiencing employment volatility.

According to Ms. Suwannee, the NSO suggests that state organizations, including the labor ministry, come up with plans to help the growing number of older workers in order to give them better opportunities for employment, including equal pay, and better opportunities for employment.

In the meantime, the NSO has carried out its 2023 Household Economic and Social Situation Survey, which showed that families nationwide earned 29 ,030 ringgit on average each month, with 70. 5 % coming from regular income, pay, business income and land produce, and 14. 5 % coming from non-monetary options.

It furthermore found that homeowners spent an average of 23,695 bass monthly. Consumer goods like food and water topped the list of top three expenses ( 35 ). 3 % ), housing and rent payments ( 21. 9 % ) and travel-related costs like automobile payments ( 16 % ).

The average family has 197,255 ringgit in overall debt, of which 77. 7 % is in enclosure, which includes loan for the purchase or hire of a house and/or land, bills for consumption, and education loan, the NSO said.

The final 22. Investments and another factors account for 3 % of the loan.