The Department of Labour Protection and Welfare says the employment situation in the 2017 fiscal year was better than the 2016 fiscal year, with just over 6,000 workers made redundant this year.
According to the department, the number of laid-off workers from October 2016 to September 2017 stood at 6,204 from 357 employers.
The figure represented a significant decrease from the same period in the 2016 fiscal year -- October 2015 to September 2016 -- in which a total of 14,760 workers were made redundant by 249 employers.
Ananchai Uthaipattanacheep, inspector-general of the Labour Ministry and the department's acting chief, said about 41% of the laid-off workers in 2016 fiscal year were in the manufacturing and sales sectors.
He added that more than 183 million baht would be required in severance pay for the laid-off workers.
He said the fall in the number of laid-off workers indicated a strong labour market.
"The employment situation is considered good even though the number of employers forced to lay off workers is higher this year," he said.
However, he said he instructed the department to monitor the employment situation closely, especially business operators with higher risks.
Among them are two operators in the manufacturing and sales sector and three in the transport sector, employing a total of 895 workers, he said.
Meanwhile, an economic reform committee is proposing that income per head for Thais should double in the next 20 years as part of reforms.
Speaking after a panel meeting, chairman Prasarn Trairatvorakul said the annual income per head should increase to US$12,000, or about 397,000 baht, under a 20-year plan. Right now, average annual income is around $6,000, he said.
