Thailand hosts about 4.1 million migrant workers, registered and unregistered alike. They build buildings, staff factories, harvest fields, crew fishing boats and tend homes. They keep labour costs competitive and fill shortages that no domestic workforce can. Without them, Thailand's economy would falter.
Last month, the Thai private sector, through the Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking, identified severe shortages of migrant workers as one of the most serious challenges facing business productivity and competitiveness. Yet the very workers who fill these gaps are also among the most vulnerable to forced labour.
