The Development of Labour Management Mechanism for Labour Policy Drive in Mukdahan Special Economic Zone

Abstract

The objectives of this study are as follows: 1) to analyze the requirement of business type to develop the special economic zone in Mukdahan based on all the involving sectors’ suggestions; 2) to investigate the required number of workers and essential skills to develop the special economic zone in Mukdahan which match the business type and true demand in the area; 3) to examine the labouring difficulties which involve the special economic zone in Mukdahan based on reliable information gathered from the studying area; and 4) to synthesize the model for driving the labour policy in the special economic zone in Mukdahan. Qualitative and operational research approaches and reliable information analysis were chosen as the methodology. The study finds that there are five required business types in the special economic zone in Mukdahan which are 1) infrastructure development; 2) logistics; 3) agricultural industry; 4) tourism, wisdom, and culture; and 5) alternative medicine. It needs more than 16,000 workers, and the skills that needs to be developed are technique, industry production, services, tourism, and local medicine. However, there are labouring problems such as 1) information perception and understanding about the special economic zone; 2) the way of life; 3) local labour economic security; 4) local administrative organization adaptation in the special economic zone. The labour policy operation in the special economic zone in Mukdahan is driven by 1) Mukdahan Labour Office, 2) all the involving provincial level sectors in Mukdahan; 3) networking sectors in Muang District, Dontan District, and Wanyai District in Mukdahan. This aims to establish a special center for designing a curriculum and developing the workers’ skills in order to prepare for the border economic expansion based on the area requirement. The relating sectors should create the labour development policy in the special economic zone in Mukdahan which links with economic sustainability. The policy may also focus on the workers’ skill development, life quality, and local capability enhancement in order to improve the labour skills and environment which affect the labour lives.