Members of the Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking (JSCCIB) hold a press briefing on migrant labour shortages, May 22, 2026. (The Nation Thailand)
Thailand is facing a migrant worker shortage that authorities must urgently address to prevent wider economic strain, Thai business leaders have warned.
On May 22, Thailand’s high-level business council, the Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking (JSCCIB), held a press briefing following its regular meeting, dedicated to discussing the country’s migrant labour shortage.
For context, the JSCCIB comprises three of the country’s top-tier trade associations: the Thai Chamber of Commerce, the Federation of Thai Industries and the Thai Bankers’ Association.
The council conveyed the private sector’s concern that the tightening labour supply is compounding already difficult economic conditions, exacerbated by rising energy costs tied to the Middle East crisis. The stakes are considerable as migrant workers account for approximately 10% of Thailand’s total labour force, or around four million people.
Neighbouring countries (Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam) supply the bulk of Thailand’s imported workforce. Cambodian workers are particularly significant, concentrated in two of Thailand’s most critical sectors: agriculture and manufacturing.
Following last year’s Thai-Cambodian border conflict, the number of Cambodian workers in Thailand has plummeted from roughly 550,000 to around 194,000. Private sector negotiations with authorities remain stalled over security concerns.
Viboon Suphakarnpongkul, Vice-Chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, warned that the deficit would disrupt businesses, particularly small and medium enterprises (SMEs), as workforce shortfalls directly affect operations, production capacity and service delivery. He added that this would ultimately weigh on the national economy and undermine planned development targets for the second half of this year.
In response, the JSCCIB proposed five urgent measures spanning three time horizons: (1) extending work permits by three to six months for remaining Cambodian workers and streamlining migrant worker registration in the short term; (2) resolving persistent technical failures in the Labour Ministry’s e-Work Permit system in the medium term; and (3) looking further ahead, exploring new source countries, including Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Indonesia, to fill critical labour gaps across key industries.
In a parallel development, Thailand’s Labour Ministry has drafted a relief proposal specifically addressing the Cambodian labour shortfall, though Cabinet approval is still pending.
What does this mean for businesses?
For Thai businesses, particularly SMEs, the labour shortfall is an immediate operational concern. With migrant workers concentrated in agriculture, manufacturing and construction, any sustained deficit translates directly into reduced output, delayed orders and rising wage pressure. The timing is especially difficult, as elevated energy costs and broader global trade uncertainty leave businesses with little buffer to absorb further supply-side shocks.
Until Cabinet approves the Labour Ministry’s relief proposal and the e-Work Permit system is stabilised, businesses would be prudent to audit their workforce dependencies, identify roles most exposed to the shortfall and explore contingency arrangements through domestic recruitment, process automation, or engagement with emerging source countries.
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