The Ministry of Labour has joined forces with 35 leading companies to help tackle graduate unemployment by improving workforce skills and matching job seekers with employers’ needs, according to the government yesterday, July 18.

The initiative follows data from the ministry’s Thai Mee Ngan Tham (Thai Have Jobs) employment platform, which highlighted a growing mismatch between workforce skills and employer demand. The platform currently lists 311,983 vacancies, while more than 25,000 bachelor’s degree graduates are still seeking work.

The government said the findings were consistent with a report by the National Economic and Social Development Council, which found that most unemployed people with no previous work experience were university graduates.

The report also found that many long-term unemployed people were aged between 20 and 29, underscoring the need to equip workers with skills suited to emerging industries and technological change.

Photo via Magnific

To address the issue, the Ministry of Labour has begun working with 35 leading private companies under a public-private partnership to develop a highly skilled workforce.

The programme will focus on upskilling and reskilling job seekers based on employers’ needs, with particular emphasis on helping new graduates find work that matches their qualifications and offers long-term career opportunities.

The ministry is also upgrading the Thai Mee Ngan Tham platform to better connect employers with job seekers by integrating job vacancy data with information on the skills businesses require.

The government said the changes are intended to improve job matching, ease labour shortages and help shape public training programmes around labour market demand. It is also considering legal and policy changes to support employment in the future.

Photo via Magnific

Reducing unemployment requires better matching people with suitable jobs rather than simply increasing the number of vacancies, the government said. It added that strengthening workforce skills would help support new industries, attract higher-value investment and improve Thailand’s long-term competitiveness.

People seeking work and employers wishing to advertise vacancies through the Thai Mee Ngan Tham platform can contact provincial employment offices, Bangkok Employment Offices 1 to 10 or the Department of Employment hotline on 1506, then press 2.