More than 100,000 workers sent overseas by the Ministry of Labour last year and early this year sent back 299 billion baht in foreign currency to the local economy, according to the Department of Employment.
The workers headed to Taiwan, South Korea, Israel, Japan and Malaysia, among other places, said department director-general Pairoj Chotikasathien.
A batch of 88,164 workers recently returned to the kingdom after being sent abroad last year and another 25,022, sent earlier this year, returned at the end of last month, he said.
Most of these workers are skilled and are in-demand in many economies recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic, he said.
As for the rest of this year, the DoE is aiming to assist 50,000 Thai workers secure job contracts overseas, especially in key labour markets, he said.
The DoE has a labour cooperation programme with Israel, and the department will continue supplying workers for the Middle Eastern country’s agricultural sector, he said.
Similarly, the DoE has agreed to supply more workers for Japan’s industrial sector, and for South Korea, the DoE has reached a deal to supply more workers for its construction, industrial and agricultural sectors, he said.
The DoE is also working to expand labour cooperation with these nations, he said.
In South Korea, for instance, the DoE is negotiating for more job opportunities for Thai workers in the agricultural sector.