PUBLISHED: 27 Apr 2025 at 06: 12
According to a professor at Thammasat University, Thailand will need to figure out how to care for older people without a income or revenue.
Thailand is facing problems in the economic and security industries as the federal labor continues to shrink, according to Auschala Chalayonnavin, a public policy analyst at the Thammasat’s faculty of social leadership. Individuals aged 60 or older make up about 20 to 30 % of the people.
According to Dr. Auschala, the burden of caring for the elderly has increased as the old-age dependency ratio has increased from 10.7 % in 1994 to 31.1 % last year.
She recently warned that Thailand has address the growing number of elderly people who are illiterate without any pensions or other forms of financial assistance.
According to her, each 100 Thais who are currently in the workforce will now need to pay 31 elder people. This could put pressure on their finances at home, she said.
The number of elders living alone has increased from 3.6 % in 1994 to 12.9 % last year, according to her claim. Many elderly people rely on family or the government for support.
According to her, this pattern has raised fears about their physical and mental well-being.
Dr. Auschala noted that 57.9 % of the elderly population is made up of older people, outnumbering their male counterparts.
She said that nearly 60 % of Thailand’s older people are aged between 60 and 69, which is a significant proportion of the old.
The government has “adjust its open saving to better support the ageing population, such as by expanding health insurance or financial aid plans,” she said. The number of people over 60 is expected to rise in the next few years.
She cited a potential solution, stating that in Switzerland, the government and private firms could both lead retirement benefits.
She urged Thailand to overhaul its security system in order to address the difficulties that an ageing population brings because it will have to concentrate more on foreigners, which may raise costs and threaten national security.
However, according to her, the younger generation, who is torn between trying to learn new skills and taking care of the elderly, may find work-life balance nearly impossible, which could lead to generational tensions.
Auschala: Welfare transformation is required