he increase in the daily minimum wage to Bt300 a day would help prevent a labour shortage in the country after the AEC's implementation, Anusorn said.
Liberalisation of the labour market would prompt Thai workers to seek foreign employment if they could get higher salaries in other countries, he said.
He also voiced concern that unskilled workers in the agricultural and industrial sectors would come into the country in high numbers, putting a strain on the country's welfare system.
But Weerachai Kuprasert, an official of the Foundation for International Human Resources Development, said the AEC represented an opportunity for Thai businesses, as it would expand the markets for Thai goods and services.
He said Thailand's tourism business would also be helped by integration under the AEC.