Thosaporn Sirisamphand, secretary-general of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC), said the agricultural sector usually helps absorb unemployment, but this year the sector may not offer any assistance because of the widespread drought. “Droughts will hurt employment in the agricultural sector and dampen farmers' incomes,” said Mr Thosaporn. On Friday, the NESDC reported 37.5 million people were employed in the fourth quarter of 2019, down by 1.1% year-on-year from the fourth quarter of 2018. Employment in the agricultural sector dropped by 1.6%, while employment in non-agricultural sectors decreased by 0.9%. In the fourth quarter, the workforce totalled 38 million, down 1.1% year-on-year.

Source: Bangkok Post February 28, 2020 14:03 UTC