The National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB), a semi-autonomous state agency, has urged the Thai government to adopt more economic stimulus measures in April to reduce unemployment, a senior board official said on Mar. 9.
NESDB’s move was prompted by a prediction that the country’s unemployment rate will soar to around 2.5 - 3.5 percent of the total workforce, or around by 900,000 to 1.3 million, in 2009, much higher than 2008’s figure of 1.3 percent, said Thailand’s News Agency (TNA).
It quoted NESDB’s Secretary-General, Suwannee Khamman, as saying that the NESDB advised the government to inject fresh economic stimulus measures in April, to reduce unemployment, and to improve workers’ skills in the production and service sectors to help the unemployed, who may not find work until the economy recovers, which is likely to be the third or fourth quarter of the year.
Thailand’s Social Security Fund (SSF) could give financial assistance to about one million of the nation’s unemployed in 2009, but this number could fall if the Social Security Office, which oversees SSF, increases the minimum amount of unemployment benefits, said Suwannee./.