Thailand is facing a significant challenge in meeting the growing demand for home-based care as its population rapidly ages. A new study by the International Labour Organization (ILO) projects that by 2037, the country will require up to 250,000 additional paid care workers, including around 55,000 migrant workers. The report, Care at Home: Projecting Thailand’s Need for National and Migrant Labour for Home-Based Care for Older Persons, highlights that as family caregiving declines due to changing family structures, demand for paid care services could increase by at least 70% over the next 12 years.
With Thailand’s policy focus on “ageing in place,” most older persons are expected to continue living in their homes instead of institutions. However, the ILO warns that without sufficient public investment, care gaps will persist, especially among low-income families unable to afford private care. Currently, paid home care is largely provided by nurses, community volunteers, and domestic workers—many of whom are migrants—and their numbers are expected to grow as Thailand’s workforce continues to age.
To address these challenges, the ILO calls for greater investment in the care economy to ensure access to affordable, quality home-based and community care services. The organization emphasizes the need to promote decent working conditions in line with Thailand’s 2024 Ministerial Regulation No. 15 on Domestic Work. It also recommends strengthening migration pathways for care workers, upgrading skills, expanding community-based systems, and leveraging technology such as telehealth and assistive devices. These measures could potentially reduce the care worker shortfall to fewer than 100,000.
ILO Country Director Xiaoyan Qian stressed that Thailand’s ageing-at-home policy can only succeed if care work is recognized and valued as skilled labor. Investing in decent work for both national and migrant care workers, she said, will help build a sustainable, equitable care system that supports families and boosts the national economy.
The study, developed under the ILO’s TRIANGLE in ASEAN program with support from the Australian Government and Global Affairs Canada, aims to guide Thailand’s policies on ageing, migration, and the care economy in line with the 2024 ILO Resolution on decent work and care.
