Rapid Assessment for Resilient Recovery and ... - GFDRR

Recommendations for Resilient Recovery
Labor Market Assessment
A thorough labor market assessment is required for several reasons. Firstly, at the time
this Rapid Assessment was conducted, floodwaters still have not receded from many
affected areas, numerous people remain displaced, and thousands of factories are still
closed. Unfortunately, the true extent of the losses from these floods is still unknown.
While the assessments which appear in the damage and loss section give a good approximation
of the losses incurred thus far, more specific information will be required to ensure
that response activities are closely tailored to needs. Information on the Thai workforce,
both baseline and post-flood data, must be analyzed according to age, wages and salary,
employment sector, occupation and skills, formality, and gender. This will ensure that no
vulnerable populations will be overlooked in response and recovery activities. Special
attention must be paid to the elderly, disabled, migrant workers, young workers, and any
other vulnerable groups identified.
Just as importantly, labor market demands may shift as a result of the flooding. For
example, it is likely that there will be surge in the demand for workers with skills in
construction and specialized cleaning techniques. Similarly, there may be mid-to-long
range labor market shifts as demand increases for workers with skills related to future
flood prevention. As will be discussed, vocational skills training programs will be critical
to increase employment numbers and ensure that Thai workers are able to meet these
demands. However, these trainings will only have this type of impact when they are based
off of a detailed assessment conducted after the floods recede.
Review of National Labor Policy
The success of livelihood recovery plans is ultimately dependent on national labor policy.
National policy must be consistent with recovery plans and offer sufficient social protections
to those affected by the floods. Finely tuned policy will help to catalyze recovery and
create important incentives for investors, employers, and workers.
The Government of Thailand has already put in place programs to provide employment
protections and salary reimbursement to formal sector workers affected by the floods.
This was an important step and extends critical protections to thousands. Once a detailed
market impact assessment has been completed, these policies should be furthered
reviewed and a gap analysis conducted to ensure that these protections exist for all who
need them.
Similarly, the government has also created incentives for factories to hire workers who
have been affected by the flooding as part of the ‘Friends Help Friends’ program. This is
an important policy and should be further explored to provide opportunities for informal
sector workers and migrant workers. There must be provisions within this program to
allow those who temporarily work elsewhere to be able to return to their original jobs
once they are available.
210 THAI FLOOD 2011 RAPID ASSESSMENT FOR RESILIENT RECOVERY AND RECONSTRUCTION PLANNING