BANGKOK — A survey found that a quarter of employees across the country either lost their jobs or were put on temporary leave during the coronavirus pandemic.
The survey, which interviewed more than 1,400 Thai employees and 400 employers, was released by job search firm JobsDB earlier this week. It confirmed what many analysts have dreaded: that the pandemic is yet another nail in the coffin for the struggling economy.
“The hardest hit groups are those with a monthly salary below 16,000 baht,” JobsDB country manager Pornladda Dathratwibul said.
According to the report, 9 percent of the interviewees say they have lost their jobs, and another 16 percent say they are placed on temporary leave.
45 percent of workers who survived the layoff say they still suffer an impact on their paychecks. About one-fourth of interview subjects receive no bonus, while one-fifth of them get no salary increase. The data also indicate that wages are slashed by 11 to 20 percent for those who take a salary cut.
Although many companies implement a remote working policy in response to the pandemic, workers aren’t necessarily enjoying it.
The survey noted that “the “Happiness Index” of Thai employees from 85 percent to 59 percent during the pandemic. The most common complaints – 46 percent – mentioned by the respondents is longer working hours.
Earlier reports by the University of Thai Chambers of Commerce predicted that around 3 million Thais may have lost their jobs because of the coronavirus pandemic, which left the vital tourism and service industries devastated in its wake.
