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Fired and forgotten: The hidden crisis facing Thailand’s middle-aged workforce

10 Sept 14:30 Key points summarised by AI

Thailand's middle-aged workforce faces a severe crisis of job insecurity and age discrimination, leading to sudden layoffs and immense difficulty in securing new employment despite extensive experience.
This crisis plunges many workers, including those from abruptly shut companies, into deep financial distress, resulting in lost assets, mental health issues, and protests demanding severance pay.
Both older workers, forced into reduced roles and salaries post-retirement age, and young graduates, lacking relevant skills for a rapidly evolving job market, struggle with widespread unemployment.
Experts emphasize the urgent need for Thailand to shift its labor policies towards skill development and reskilling programs to combat obsolescence from disruptive technology and meet modern job market demands.
The government's decision against further minimum wage hikes, despite previous pledges, exacerbates the financial struggles of workers, highlighting a disconnect in addressing the ongoing labor crisis.

Today 14:58 Key points summarised by AI

Thailand's government will launch the "Chainat-Pasak-Gulf" water diversion canal project in fiscal year 2027, a seven-year mega-infrastructure initiative.
This permanent structural solution aims to mitigate recurrent central plains flooding by diverting water from the Chao Phraya River directly into the Gulf of Thailand, significantly reducing flow to major cities like Ayutthaya and Bangkok.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul justifies the long-term investment as a means to reduce future damages and fiscal burdens, contrasting it with the 40-50 billion baht spent annually on short-term flood relief.
Concurrently, the Prime Minister instructed officials to expand drainage capacity into the Tha Chin River and swiftly remove water hyacinths to improve immediate flood management.