Thailand To Provide Filipinos Tourism Job Prospects

Thousands of employment opportunities in Thailand’s hospitality sector will be accessible to the Filipino tourist workforce shortly. This is one of the primary agreements reached during a high-level bilateral meeting on August 18 between the Philippines Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco and Thailand Ministry of Tourism and Sports (MOTS) Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn.

During the session, the Thai Tourism Minister stated that with the easing of travel restrictions and the restart of tourism activities, the Thai tourism industry is presently confronting a labor shortage, with 60 percent of openings ranging from hotel workers to middle management jobs. Minister Ratchakitprakarn stated that experts from the Philippines are preferred, citing Filipinos’ remarkable grasp of the English language as a need in handling Thailand’s growing number of international visitors and guests.

“We note with serious consideration the shortage in the tourism workforce coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic. I am presently in discussions with the Philippine Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) wherein we have agreed to conduct joint job fairs all over the Philippines, specifically catered to the tourism industry to ensure that those that left the industry or may have been laid off from the industry during the time of pandemic would once again have the opportunity to be employed,” Secretary Frasco remarked during the meeting.

DOT and DOLE are now planning a tourist employment fair program called “Trabaho Turismo Asenso!” in collaboration with partner local government units (LGUs) and incoming Thai counterparts for September 22-24.

Secretary Frasco stated that she invited Thailand to the job fair series to provide additional possibilities to Filipinos interested in working in Thailand’s hotel and restaurant business. The Thai Minister happily welcomed the offer and confirmed their country’s participation in the employment fair.

Secretary Frasco stated that the DOT is also conducting surveys of the number of open job vacancies, position titles, and other job posting information in each area of the country for further local work possibilities through its Regional Offices.