Labour · East Asia & Pacific · Upper-middle income
Thailand: the labour market
Labour force is 40.9m (2025), 16th of 187 in the world and 6th of 29 in East Asia & Pacific. Participation rate is 66.7% (2025), 49th of 187 in the world and 10th of 29 in East Asia & Pacific. Women's participation is 59.0% (2025), 56th of 187 in the world and 12th of 29 in East Asia & Pacific.
Labour force
Thailand
Participation rate
ThailandEast Asia & PacificUpper-middle incomeWorld
13 indicators
Labour: Thailand in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within East Asia & Pacific; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour forceLabour force, total | 40.9m2025 | 16/187 | 6/29 | 35.0m | 39.2m | 40.3m | +2.1%since 2015 | 1.3bn | 1.5bn | 3.7bn | |
| Participation rateLabour force participation, % of 15+ | 66.7%2025 | 49/187 | 10/29 | 73.5% | 71.7% | 67.0% | −2.6 ppsince 2015 | 65.2% | 62.7% | 61.0% | |
| Women's participationFemale labour force participation, % of women 15+ | 59.0%2025 | 56/187 | 12/29 | 65.6% | 63.7% | 59.1% | −2.1 ppsince 2015 | 58.1% | 53.4% | 48.9% | |
| Employment rateEmployment to population ratio, 15+ (ILO) | 66.2%2025 | 32/187 | 8/29 | 71.7% | 71.2% | 66.3% | −2.7 ppsince 2015 | 62.7% | 59.5% | 58.1% | |
| UnemploymentUnemployment, % of labour force (ILO) | 0.8%2025 | 184/187 | 28/29 | 2.4% | 0.6% | 1.1% | +0.2 ppsince 2015 | 3.8% | 5.2% | 4.8% | |
| Female unemploymentFemale unemployment, % of female labour force (ILO) | 0.8%2025 | 182/187 | 28/29 | 2.3% | 0.6% | 1.1% | +0.2 ppsince 2015 | 3.4% | 5.1% | 4.9% | |
| Youth unemploymentYouth unemployment, ages 15–24 (ILO) | 4.5%2025 | 164/187 | 23/29 | 6.8% | 2.6% | 5.2% | +1.4 ppsince 2015 | 12.5% | 15.6% | 13.4% | |
| Youth NEET rateYouth not in education, employment or training, % | 12.4%2025 | 125/170 | 18/28 | 10.4% | 12.5% | 15.1% | −1.2 ppsince 2015 | 15.3% | 17.3% | — | |
| Wage workersWage and salaried workers, % of total employment | 49.3%2025 | 128/187 | 19/29 | 37.7% | 44.5% | 49.5% | +0.9 ppsince 2015 | 61.0% | 61.3% | 53.6% | |
| Vulnerable employmentVulnerable employment, % of total employment (ILO) | 48.0%2025 | 55/187 | 11/29 | 59.5% | 52.7% | 48.1% | −0.7 ppsince 2015 | 35.3% | 34.8% | 42.4% | |
| Jobs in agricultureEmployment in agriculture, % of total employment | 28.6%2025 | 64/187 | 10/29 | 44.4% | 38.2% | 31.4% | −3.8 ppsince 2015 | 21.7% | 19.8% | 25.8% | |
| Jobs in industryEmployment in industry, % of total employment | 22.2%2025 | 64/187 | 11/29 | 18.5% | 20.6% | 22.6% | −1.5 ppsince 2015 | 28.5% | 27.7% | 23.7% | |
| Jobs in servicesEmployment in services, % of total employment | 49.2%2025 | 134/187 | 22/29 | 37.1% | 41.1% | 46.0% | +5.3 ppsince 2015 | 49.9% | 52.4% | 50.6% |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)“·” — no value reported within two years of that date. World rank counts countries with a recent value.
Better than ten years ago
- Youth NEET rate−1.2 pp12.4% in 2025
- Wage workers+0.9 pp49.3% in 2025
- Vulnerable employment−0.7 pp48.0% in 2025
Worse than ten years ago
- Women's participation−2.1 pp59.0% in 2025
- Employment rate−2.7 pp66.2% in 2025
- Unemployment+0.2 pp0.8% in 2025
- Female unemployment+0.2 pp0.8% in 2025
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
neighbours
Thailand and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Thailand. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Thailand | Myanmar | Malaysia | Cambodia | Laos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour force | 40.9m2025 | 22.9m2025 | 18.7m2025 | 10.4m2025 | 3.7m2025 |
| Participation rate | 66.7%2025 | 55.1%2025 | 66.1%2025 | 82.4%2025 | 66.1%2025 |
| Women's participation | 59.0%2025 | 40.9%2025 | 51.6%2025 | 77.4%2025 | 61.6%2025 |
| Employment rate | 66.2%2025 | 53.4%2025 | 63.6%2025 | 82.2%2025 | 65.3%2025 |
| Unemployment | 0.8%2025 | 3.0%2025 | 3.8%2025 | 0.3%2025 | 1.2%2025 |
| Female unemployment | 0.8%2025 | 3.5%2025 | 3.9%2025 | 0.2%2025 | 0.9%2025 |
| Youth unemployment | 4.5%2025 | 9.8%2025 | 12.0%2025 | 0.7%2025 | 2.4%2025 |
| Youth NEET rate | 12.4%2025 | 15.0%2020 | 10.2%2022 | 9.7%2025 | 22.5%2022 |
| Wage workers | 49.3%2025 | 34.5%2025 | 74.6%2025 | 44.5%2025 | 22.9%2025 |