BANGKOK — The Cabinet meeting on August 26 approved guidelines for managing the employment of foreigners residing in temporary shelter areas for refugees fleeing conflict from Myanmar, aimed at addressing labor shortages and driving the country’s economy.
Labor Minister Phongkwin Chungruangkit said this approach provides relief for foreigners living in all 9 temporary shelter areas for conflict refugees from Myanmar across 4 provinces: Mae Hong Son, Tak, Kanchanaburi, and Ratchaburi.
These individuals have already been registered by the Department of Provincial Administration and are granted special permission to remain in the Kingdom for employment purposes for up to 1 year from the date of the authorization order.
These target foreign nationals must apply for permission to leave the controlled area and submit work permit applications.
Authorized foreigners can work with employers in all sectors not prohibited for foreign workers, and are eligible for labor and retail sales positions with employers according to the Department of Employment (DOE) announcement regarding conditions for hiring foreign workers.
Two Applications Needed
Somchai Morakotsriwan, Director-General of the Department of Employment, stated that approximately 42,000 foreign refugees are residing in Thailand’s 9 displacement centers.
Those wishing to work must submit two applications: permission to leave the controlled area and a work permit application. Applicants must provide required documents including proof of foreign worker health insurance with the Ministry of Public Health. Workers must also pay standard application and work permit fees as required by law
However, for their first work permit application, they will be exempted from work permit fees to help reduce the financial burden on workers.
Phongkwin said foreign workers currently play a major role in driving Thailand’s manufacturing and service sectors. However, the Labor Ministry cannot allow unchecked use of foreign workers, which would lead to various problems.
He requested public cooperation in reporting illegal foreign worker activities. Citizens can report locations to the Labor Ministry via the hotline at 1506 for officials to investigate.
Legal Penalties
Under Thai law, foreigners working without permits or beyond their authorized scope face fines of 5,000-50,000 baht and deportation.
Employers who illegally hire foreign workers face fines of 10,000-100,000 baht per worker. Repeat offenders face up to 1 year imprisonment or fines of 50,000-200,000 baht per worker, plus a 3-year ban on hiring foreign workers.
Current Foreign Worker Statistics
The Department of Employment reports 4,071,617 authorized foreign workers remain in Thailand as of July 2025:
- Skilled workers: 197,461
- Ethnic minorities: 99,437
- Cross-border/seasonal workers: 42,274 (Cambodia 37,043, Myanmar 5,231)
- MoU agreement workers: 687,405 (Cambodia 178,240, Myanmar 248,320, Laos 260,845)
- September 2024 and February 4, 2025 resolution workers: 1,016,040 (Cambodia 108,064, Myanmar 872,615, Laos 28,561, Vietnam 6,800)
Pending Applications
Under recent Cabinet resolutions, 2,029,000 workers applied for authorization. Of these, 180,288 have been approved (Cambodia 176,216, Laos 3,967, Vietnam 105) while 1,848,712 remain pending (Cambodia 19,333, Myanmar 1,829,379).
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