Thailand's social security net to cover 10m people<\/p>\n
BANGKOK (DPA): Thailand's social security scheme will cover
\nabout 10 million workers, or almost 30 percent of the workforce,
\nby early next year, Thai Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai said on
\nMonday.<\/p>\n
\"Our social security program is being extended down to cover
\nsmall enterprises with just one employee, not the minimum of ten
\nas is now the case,\" Chuan told the 12th Regional Conference for
\nAsia and the Pacific of the International Social Security
\nAssociation, being hosted by Bangkok on Monday through Thursday.<\/p>\n
Thailand's current Social Security Fund, which is mandatory
\nfor all firms employing ten people or more, covers 104,956
\ncompanies and 5.9 million workers, of about 17 percent of the
\ncountry's total workforce of 33 million people.<\/p>\n
The scheme will be extended to cover enterprises employing one
\nto nine people as of April, 2001.<\/p>\n
\"This is expected to increase the number of insured workers
\nfrom the current 5.9 million up to around 10 million,\" said
\nChuan, addressing about 250 executives and delegations from 31
\ncountries who have gathered in Bangkok to attend the conference
\non social security issues in the Asia-Pacific.<\/p>\n
Thailand also plans to extend it social security net to cover
\nworkers in the agriculture, timber and fisheries sectors by the
\nyear 2007 and is looking into the possibility of introducing an
\nunemployment security scheme for the kingdom, said the Thai prime
\nminister.<\/p>\n
Thailand was hard hit by the so-called Asian economic crisis
\nthat began in 1997, sending the region into recession and putting
\nmillions of people, especially the poorest laborers, out of work.<\/p>\n
The crisis has highlighted the need for better \"security nets\"
\nsuch as social security programs and unemployment schemes in the
\nAsia-Pacific region, which has traditionally shied away from
\nproviding public funding for such systems on the argument that
\ngovernments should concentrate on assuring full employment for
\ntheir populations instead of handouts.<\/p>\n
\"Asia's financial turmoil has created dramatic changes in the
\ncircumstances as well as the perspectives of many,\" said Elawat
\nChandraprasert, permanent secretary of Thailand's Ministry of
\nLabor and Social Welfare, in his opening address to the
\nconference.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/thailands-social-security-net-to-cover-10m-people-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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