The event, held at the The Pago Design Hotel Phuket in Ratsada, was opened by Phuket Vice Governor Suwit Phansengiam as part of the ‘Project to Provide Knowledge on Legal and Management of Foreign Workers to Employers, Businesses and Network Organisations’ for fiscal 2025 – the second such session this year.
Phuket Provincial Employment Office Chief Phichit Singthongkam highlighted the scale of foreign labour in the province, noting that more than 15,400 registered businesses employ some 124,486 migrant workers. Of these, the vast majority – 121,955 – are from Myanmar, with others from Laos (1,562), Cambodia (243) and Vietnam (726).
“Foreign workers remain an essential part of Phuket’s business sector and its development, both now and in the future,” Mr Phichit said.
The programme aims to give employers, community leaders and partner organisations up-to-date knowledge of key regulations covering migrant employment. Topics included the work permit process, penalties under the Alien Employment Management Act, the Immigration Act, stay extensions, 90-day reporting, social security benefits, health checks, health insurance requirements and maintaining accurate migrant worker registries.
Officials stressed that most migrant workers in Phuket are employed in sectors suffering chronic labour shortages, particularly in low-skilled jobs shunned by Thai workers. With Phuket’s minimum wage currently set at B400 per day, foreign labour continues to be a driving force in the province’s economy, Mr Pichet said.
Speakers from the Phuket Provincial Employment Office, Phuket Immigration, the Social Security Office, the Provincial Public Health Office and the Provincial Administrative Office led the training, which aimed to provide businesses with accurate and practical guidance on compliance.