Unemployment and Factors Affecting Unemployment in Thailand
Keywords:
Unemployment, Unemployment rate, Factors Affecting UnemploymentAbstract
The purposes of this research were: 1) to study the unemployment situation in Thailand and 2) to study factors affecting unemployment in Thailand. The sample included all 77 provinces in Thailand, with data collected from secondary sources, specifically the National Statistical Office and the Ministry of Labor, for 2022. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to analyze the data.
The research findings revealed that the unemployment rate in Thailand during the period 2013-2022 showed an increasing trend, in line with the rising number of unemployed individuals. It was also found that Thailand had a very low unemployment rate compared to other countries worldwide, which was attributed to Thailand's large informal economy, one of the largest globally. Furthermore, the study found that the number of higher education graduates was significantly correlated with the number of unemployed individuals in a positive direction at the 0.01 significance level. In contrast, the minimum wage was significantly correlated with the number of unemployed individuals in a negative direction at the 0.05 significance level. Based on these findings, it was recommended that the government should endeavor to integrate the informal economy into the formal economy to allow the unemployment rate to more accurately reflect the overall labor market. Additionally, it was suggested that jobs utilizing highly skilled labor or labor with higher education qualifications be promoted to reduce the number of unemployed individuals in the country.
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