Introduction
One of the reasons for the continued growth of the Thai economy over recent decades
has been the presence of young and diligent workers entering the labour market and
participating in the manufacturing industry promoted by the East Asian Economic
Model (EAEM). However, demographic changes, together with the demise of the
EAEM in the wake of 2008-9’s financial crisis, have meant that fewer new members
of the labour force will be available. Consequently, more account will need to be
taken of older workers, as has happened in the case of Singapore, where concerns
about the lack of younger people and the possible lengthy periods of time older people
will spend with only pensions for financial support have convinced the government
to take action. There, the AdvantAge! campaign has drawn together social solidarity
with good policies to encourage older workers to re-enter the labour force at, in many
cases, entry level positions (e.g. supermarket checkouts, fast food servers) and with
compensation and conditions to match. Currently, a similar situation seems difficult
to imagine in Thailand owing to the seniority system in place in most workplaces
where employees are granted an annual salary increment often irrespective of performance
and the reverence for older people inherent in society. This paper examines
the implications of these issues and makes recommendations for improvements in
policy in the future. In doing so, it relies upon a qualitative study of 30 older workers
(i.e. aged 45 and up) in addition to published secondary data.