ส.อ.ท. หารือสภาที่ปรึกษาเพื่อพัฒนาแรงงานแห่งชาติ เดินหน้ายุทธศาสตร์แรงงาน ยกระดับขีดความสามารถการแข่งขันFTI Discusses with the National Labor Development Advisory Council to Advance Labor Strategies and Enhance Competitiveness

On Wednesday, May 20, 2026, Ms. Pimjai Leeissaranukul, Chairperson of the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI), along with the executive team, welcomed Dr. Thanit Sorat, Chair of the National Labor Development Advisory Council, Committee 21, on the occasion of congratulating Ms. Pimjai Leeissaranukul on her election as the FTI Chairperson for the term 2026-2028. They also discussed collaborative approaches to labor strategies to enhance the competitiveness of the Thai industrial sector at the PASSION meeting room (802) of FTI.
 

During the meeting, executives and directors participated, including Mr. Suchart Jantanakharach, FTI Vice Chairperson; Mr. Panithan Pawarolwattana, Secretary-General of FTI; Mr. Thanawat Jitbanterngpan, Committee Member of ASEAN and Logistics; Ms. Pharnrat Pechpakdee, Director General of FTI; and Mr. Rungroeng Saiphuwan, Director of the Human Capability Development Institute, who welcomed the guests.

Ms. Phimjai revealed the direction for driving the Thai industry under the vision of “The New Chapter of Thai Industry” for the term 2026-2028, stating that the Thai industry needs to turn a new page to cope with geopolitical and economic changes through the implementation of key strategies known as 5I, which consists of:

I1-Intelligent Industry

I2-Innovation & Creative Industry

I3-International Alliance & Network

I4-Industrial Infrastructure and

I5-Inclusive & Sustainable Growth

These strategies aim to create resilience, sustainability, as well as to reform the industrial infrastructure and labor management systematically, with “human capital” being the core. Additionally, it includes readiness to support the Pay by Skill policy or employment according to National Skill Standards, alongside the integration of AI and Robotics technology to elevate the industry to Smart Industry.

Mr. Suchart emphasized the necessity for reforming the labor management structure in the country to enhance competitiveness, particularly concerning foreign labor in the 3D jobs (Dirty, Dangerous, Difficult), which Thai workers tend to avoid. The Federation of Thai Industries has proposed that relevant agencies improve laws and regulations related to the import and employment of foreign labor to become more efficient, as the current labor force is insufficient to meet the demands of the industrial sector, with the goal of assisting entrepreneurs, especially SMEs.

In the long term, FTI believes that negotiating with the source countries to improve memorandums of understanding (MOUs) may not suffice. Thus, they propose expanding cooperation frameworks with additional countries, such as Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and Bangladesh.

Regarding the promotion of employment for the elderly, both organizations concurred on promoting incentive measures for employers, such as proposing a tax deduction of 2-3 times and improving laws to accommodate flexible employment or hourly work. They also aimed to focus on developing skills through both upskilling and reskilling to ensure that experienced elderly workers can adapt to modern technologies and work efficiently alongside automation. Moreover, regarding the Big Data aspect for the elderly, continued cooperation with relevant agencies is necessary.

Furthermore, the topic of reintegrating ex-offenders into the workforce was discussed more extensively. Each year, approximately 100,000 inmates are released from prisons, with over 80 percent of them being drug-related offenders.

However, significant barriers preventing these individuals from re-entering the labor market include concerns about employer trustworthiness, social stigma, and lack of skills and stable housing. If the issue of sustainable employment cannot be resolved, it may lead to problems of recidivism that create higher economic costs in the long term.

FTI believes that the Department of Corrections should play a crucial role in changing the perspectives of ex-offenders and employers through collaboration with the private sector. FTI is willing to participate in fostering understanding and creating opportunities for ex-offenders to return to the labor market appropriately, proposing the development of Social Enterprises or model factories specifically for employing ex-offenders, including setting standards for skill certification to instill confidence in the private sector regarding employing this group of individuals.

Dr. Thanit agreed with the vision of the FTI Chairperson and acknowledged that such strategies would greatly benefit the development of the Thai industrial sector, viewing FTI as a capable agency to concretely drive labor policies.

Additionally, he invited FTI to participate in a project to survey the demand for foreign labor across 48 industrial sectors to create a clear Big Data database for use in strategizing national labor policies over the next 5-10 years.

Moreover, concerning the topic of ex-offenders, there was a consensus with FTI on the need to organize a collaborative forum involving the National Labor Development Advisory Council, the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI), the Board of Trade of Thailand, and the Ministry of Justice to promote skilled ex-offenders entering the industrial labor market effectively, emphasizing the importance of issuing skill certification to assure confidence in the private sector for future employment.