Thailand has made progress reducing poverty but vulnerability remains high. Households cope with economic shocks through actions like increasing work hours and selling assets, which can negatively impact education and health. The document discusses Thailand's social protection system, noting challenges around coverage, design, budgeting, and implementation. It outlines key beneficiary groups and benefits provided to formal and informal workers. The United Nations and Royal Thai Government are working together through a joint team to help Thailand develop a more holistic social protection system.

1. Human Development Sector
Country Presentation: Thailand
Mitigating Vulnerabilities & Promoting
Resilient Growth
Sequencing, cost-efficiency and fiscal-sustainability
social protection– Policy Dialogue
Kwanpadh Suddhi-Dhamakit
1 November 2012

2. Human Thailand Need SP?
Does Development Sector
• Poverty has declined but vulnerability to poverty is high:
• Ex-post coping strategies of vulnerable households:
– increasing working hours, borrowing money outside HH, and drawing
down savings by selling assets
• Asset decapitalization to cope with a shock can create
irreversibilities on education, health and nutrition spending among
vulnerable HHs

3. Thailand’s Context
Population ~ 66 m Human Development Sector
Population aged 15 and above ~ 52m
Labor Force ~ 38-39 m
Non-Labor Force
Popn aged 15 and above = 52 m
~ 14 m
Informal ~ 24m Formal ~ 14m
– Children and Youth – Agriculture & Fishery: 14.5m – Government
– Elderly and Old-aged (60%) Employees:1.26m (9%)
– People with Disabilities – Manufacturing: 1.3m (5%) – State Enterprise
– Construction & Utility: 1m (4%) Employees: 0.2m (1%)
– Beggars and Destitute
– Commerce: 3.9m (16%) – Private Employees and
– Other Economically
Employers in Non-
Inactive Groups – Services: 3.5m (15%) Agriculture Sector: 11.5m
– Migrants? (82%)
– Agri’ workers in private
Sector: 1.2m (8%)
Labor Market
Mechanisms/Policies
Unemployed ~ 0.5m

4. Human Development Sector
SP Schemes/Programmes
Labor Force
Non-Labor Force
Informal Sector Formal Sector
• Gov’t Social Assistance • Farm Income • Civil Service Welfare
Programs (orphans, children Guarantee/Rice Mortgage Scheme: 1.26m
from poor /unsecured Scheme Programme
families, disadvantaged o Health: CSMBS&SoE:6m
women, elderly, homeless, • Universal Health (including dependants)
disables, HIV infected, Coverage: 48m
o Old Age: GPF/SOE:1.4m
panhandlers) • Voluntary SS Extension
• SSS/WCF/PF: 8m
• Non-gov’t social assistance • Non-resident health
programs benefits • PSTW: 0.2m
• 500/600/700 baht pensions • Housing scheme
Private insurance: 1.5m
• 500 baht disability benefit • Community-Based
Community-Based savings
• Village Funds, School-meal Savings
Programs • National Saving Fund
• Informal Mechanisms • Credit cards for specific
occupations

5. Human Development Sector
Benefits by Work Status
Sickness Invalidity Death/ Survivors Child Maternity Child Ed Old U/E
/health Funeral Allowance Childbirth Support age
Grant grant
Formal Sector
Agri and Non-agri        
private sector
employees
Private school teachers       
Civil servants        
State Enterprise        
Employees
Informal Sector
Informal workers under     
voluntary SS extensions
Entrepreneurs and 
business owners
Farmers and Agri sector 
workers
Non-labour force and 
others

6. Human Development Sector
Life-course Welfare System?
Age 0 - 18
Age 18 - 24
Age 24 – 60+
60+
Education
Health Care
Housing
Employment and
Income
Recreational Activities
Justice and Legal
Process
Other Social Services

7. Human Development Sector
SP Challenges
• Coverage and Targeting:
– Informal sector? Agricultural workers? Life-course (birth to death) welfare
system?
• Design and Budget:
– Western style welfare state Vs Community-based welfare? Middle path?
Thai context?
– Affordability Vs Adequacy?
– Short-term needs Vs Long-term plan? Implications of future labour market
and technological changes?
• Implementation:
– National agenda Vs responsibilities of line agencies? Holistic approach Vs
Disintegrated proposals?
– Equity, Effectiveness, Efficiency, and Capacity ?
– Affordability, in context of aging society

8. TheHuman Development Sector
UNPAF (2012-2016) on SP
• Social protection was chosen as one of the six key
areas of the UNPAF (RTG/UN)
• Focus on enhancing Thailand’s capacity to provide
universal basic social protection and higher levels
of benefits, with the overall objective of ensuring the
financial and institutional sustainability of the system

9. Human Development Sector
Social Protection Floor Joint Team in Thailand
• Created in March 2010 to support the Royal Thai
Government (RTG) in the development of a holistic and
coherent social protection system.
• The team members
• ILO = chair
National Line ministries (Labour,
Statistics Health, Social
Office, Development, Education,
academia Finance), NESDB
Workers and employers
organisations Civil society

10. Human Development Sector
Social Protection Floor Joint Team in Thailand
• The UN SPF Team’s brochure: www.social-
protection.org/gimi/gess/ShowProjectRessource.do?ress
ourceId=30388&pid=1325