Thailand Turns to Sri Lanka for Workers amid Labour Crisis
- CNL Reporter
- August 20, 2025
- News, Political
- Thailand
- 0 Comments
Thailand’s government has approved the recruitment of 10,000 Sri Lankan workers as part of its drive to plug a deepening labour shortage, a move that reflects both the country’s growing demographic challenge and its dependence on foreign labour.
The decision, announced by Labour Minister Pongkawin Jungrungruangkit, comes in the wake of a mass exodus of Cambodian workers who returned home after a deadly border conflict last month.
The fighting, the worst in decades, killed at least 43 people and displaced more than 300,000 on both sides before a fragile ceasefire was struck.
Before the clashes, over 520,000 Cambodians were employed in Thailand, making up nearly 12% of its foreign workforce. An estimated 400,000 have since returned home, leaving serious gaps in key industries.
Thailand, already grappling with a fast-ageing population and shrinking domestic workforce, has relied heavily on foreign labour to sustain its economy.
According to the International Labour Organization, at least three million registered foreign workers are employed in agriculture, construction, and manufacturing.
With fertility rates dropping and one in five Thais projected to be over 60 by 2035, the government faces mounting pressure to secure a steady inflow of migrant workers.
