Abu Dhabi Dialogue

Responsible Entities

Ministry of Labour (MOL)

Background

The Ministry of Labour's main task is labour administration. The Ministry is a strategic unit in the Government's task for national development. Its functions are to provide services in pursuant to Article 86 of the Constitution, B.E.2540 (1997) which requires the Government to promote the employment of people of all working ages, protect workers especially child and women workers, organize labour relations systems, provide social security and ensure fair payment and to fulfill people' wishes for the Ministry of Labour to be dependable on rendering services in labour administration and solving labour problems.

The Ministry also, administers and sends Thai workers to work overseas. 

1. Serve as a registration centre to provide information to overseas Thai workers,
2. Protect the rights and benefits of overseas Thai workers,
3. Promote and develop procedures supporting sending Thai workers to work overseas;
4. Provide Pre-Departure Orientation (PDO) to Thai workers before going  abroad to work,
5. Promote and extend Thai labour market in overseas countries,
6. Promote Thai labour markets in overseas countries.

Updates:

The Department of Employment (DOE), which operates under the Ministry of Labour (MOL), is responsible for promoting Thai labour markets in overseas countries. The DOE also monitors the procedure of sending Thai workers to work overseas and ensures processes performed comply with national laws and regulations. The DOE is also responsible for protecting the rights and benefits of job seekers and those who are working or training overseas.

For updated information, please visit our website: https://www.doe.go.th/overseas

Recruitment Regulations

There are Five Legal Channels to Work Overseas:

Through the arrangement of the Department of Employment:

The Department of Employment provides overseas employment services to job seekers who wish to work overseas. Through this channel, the job seekers do not need to pay any service charge but they are required to pay the amount necessary for travelling, for example, the cost of the passport, physical examination, visa application, etc.

Through the arrangement of a licensed private recruitment agency:

The private recruitment agency must be authorized by the Department of Employment to recruit and send the job seekers to work overseas before advertising job vacancies, recruiting and sending job seekers to work overseas.

Through the arrangement of job seekers:

In order to go through this channel, the Royal Thai Embassy, the Royal Thai Consulate-General, and the Labour Affairs Offices in the destination country must endorse the employment contract.

Through the arrangement of domestic employers:

The domestic employers who have the overseas subsidiaries or win the overseas job bidding and wish to take their employees to work overseas must be granted the permission by the Department of Employment before sending their employees.

Through training by the arrangement of domestic employers:

The domestic employers who wish to send their employees to be trained overseas have to notify the Department of Employment by submitting a notification form for sending the employees to be trained overseas.