In Kanchanaburi, Thailand, thirty employers from key industries participated in training to enhance their ability to provide newly arrived migrant workers with practical guidance on labor rights and occupational safety and health (OSH). The workshop, organized under the ILO PROTECT project by the Employers’ Confederation of Thailand (ECOT) and the Department of Labour Protection and Welfare (DLPW), aimed to ensure that migrant workers start their employment with a clear understanding of their rights, workplace standards, and available protection mechanisms.
Migrant workers play a vital role in Thailand’s economy, particularly in construction, manufacturing, and other labor-intensive sectors. However, many face challenges accessing reliable information during the early stages of employment, making them vulnerable to unsafe working conditions, exploitation, and misinformation. Employer-led post-arrival training helps workers navigate the Thai labor market, understand national regulations, comply with OSH requirements, and access complaint mechanisms, while promoting the prevention of violence and harassment.
The training equipped employers with tools to design and deliver accurate, accessible, and gender-responsive orientation sessions. Participants learned about their legal responsibilities under labor and OSH regulations, discussed skills and training needs for migrant workers, and drafted short training plans for their workplaces. Insights from the workshop will inform a guide to support employer-led post-arrival training and showcased examples of best practices aligned with ILO fair recruitment principles.
Kanchanaburi, which hosts a large number of export-oriented factories and receives a steady flow of workers from Myanmar, is a priority area for improving employer capacity. The provincial DLPW office helped reach enterprises reliant on migrant labor and reinforced links between employers and local labor inspectors. Siriwan Romchatthong, Secretary General of ECOT, emphasized the responsibility of employers not only to provide jobs but also opportunities for migrant workers to build better futures.
ECOT has been a key partner in promoting fair and responsible recruitment, strengthening employer understanding of legal obligations, and supporting the prevention of workplace violence and harassment. Through the PROTECT project, ECOT and the ILO aim to scale up employer-focused tools so that post-arrival orientation becomes a standard part of ensuring decent work for migrant workers.
Continued capacity-building efforts are expected to help Thailand advance safer and more rights-respecting labor migration practices. By investing in employer training and fostering collaboration between national institutions, the programme contributes to a sustainable model that can be replicated across provinces and serve as a benchmark for responsible employment nationwide.
