As of March 2024, the estimated population of Thailand is 71,801,279 people.
The currency in Thailand is the Thai Baht (THB). The currency symbol is ฿.
Thailand's labor law does not define what it means to be a permanent employee. However, employers are not permitted to hire employees on a fixed-term contract for tasks of a permanent nature. Employment contracts are typically established for a fixed period that is mutually agreed upon and expire upon completion of said employment period. If a contract does not specify a termination date, it is considered to be of an indefinite period. Where the period is not specified in the contract of employment, an employer or an employee may terminate the contract by giving advance notice in writing to the other party at or before any due date of wage payment in order to take effect on the following due date of wage payment. The advance notice need not be longer than three months. In addition, a probationary employment contract is deemed to be an indefinite contract of employment for notice purposes.
Thailand's labor law does not mandate that all contracts of employment be concluded in writing. However, all employers who employ more than 20 employees must conclude a "working conditions agreement" with the employees or their union, which must be in writing. The mandatory elements to be included in this contract are the following: Employment or working conditions Working days and hours of work Wages Employee welfare benefits to be provided Conditions of termination of employment Petition procedure for the employee Renewal or amendment procedure of the working conditions agreement In addition, fixed-term contracts must be concluded in writing.
The Labour Protection Act of Thailand does not directly address the issue of temporary work agency employment. However, it does state that companies who hire an individual (and not an employment agency) to recruit other individuals for work, and the work is part of a manufacturing process or business operations under the company's responsibility, then the company will be deemed as the employer of those workers. If the recruited workers perform work in the same manner as employees under a regular employment contract, they must receive the same benefits as the employees under contract.
Thailand's employment law does not mandate a probationary period. In practice, an employee becomes eligible for severance pay after working for 120 days, so many businesses consider the maximum probationary period to be 119 days. The only reference to a probationary period in Thailand's Labour Protection Act is a provision that states that "a probationary contract shall also be deemed as an indefinite period contract of employment." However, this does not mean that a probationary employee is given the same employment protections as a regular, permanent employee.
Thailand's labor law states that a normal working day lasts 8 hours and cannot exceed 9 hours. The total normal working hours per week cannot exceed 42 hours. In instances where the employer and employee have arranged overtime work, the additional work cannot exceed 9 hours daily or 48 hours weekly. The employer must provide a weekly rest period of 1 day per week, and the time between each rest period cannot exceed 6 days. In Thailand, employees are entitled to a rest period of 1 hour before reaching the fifth consecutive hour of work. For employees aged less than 18 years, employers are obliged to provide a break of at least 1 hour after continuously working for no more than 4 hours.
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Thailand's labor law provides that an employee is entitled to annual leave of at least 6 days after working for an uninterrupted period of 1 year with the same employer. Employees are paid at their normal wage rate for the duration of annual leave. The employer must fix the days of leave in advance for the employee or conclude an agreement with the employee regarding the days of leave. The employer and the employee may agree in advance to accumulate any annual leave that has not yet been taken in a year and postpone it to following years. The employer can choose to provide annual leave on a pro-rata basis for employees who have not completed 1 year of service. If employees' contract is terminated by the employer before, they must be paid for the unused annual leave for the year.
Under Thailand's employment law, employees are entitled to 30 days of sick leave per year. An employee can take up to 2 consecutive days of sick leave without documentation. If the sick leave period is 3 days or more, the employer can require that the employee produce a certificate from a physician or medical establishment. Absent this certificate, the employee must provide the employer with an explanation regarding the sick leave. During an employee's sick leave, the employer must remunerate the employee at their regular pay rate. Employees must be remunerated in the same method as they normally would when working. Employees are entitled to paid sick leave beyond 3 days if they provide a medical certificate.
In Thailand, pregnant employees are entitled to maternity leave of no more than 98 days for each pregnancy. Any maternity leave taken includes holidays that occur during the period of leave. Employers are obligated to pay normal wages to a female employee during the first 45 days of the maternity leave period. Effective December 7, 2025, maternity leave is increased to 120 days, and employers must pay full wages to a female employee during the first 60 days of the maternity leave period. An additional 15 days of leave is provided if the newborn has medical complications or disabilities. An employer is prohibited from requiring a pregnant employee to work between 10:00 PM and 6:00 AM, to work overtime, or to work on holidays. If a pregnant employee works in an executive position, in academic work, in clerical work, or in work relating to finance or accounting, the employer may require the employee to work overtime provided that there is no effect on the employee's health and the employee gives prior consent on each occasion.
Effective December 7, 2025, male employees are entitled to 15 days of paid paternity leave to support their spouse or partner during childbirth. This new leave allowance can be taken before or within 90 days after childbirth. Employers are required to pay full wages for the entire 15-day period. Government sector employees may receive paid paternity leave of up to 15 consecutive working days, to be taken within 90 days after birth. Employees whose spouses are not insured are entitled to a childbirth allowance worth THB 15,000 (Thai Baht) per birth. See the "Birth Allowance" section for more details.
The labor law of Thailand states that where a date of termination is provided in the employment contract, the employer need not give advance notice of dismissal. Where no period of time is specified in the contract of employment, the employer or the employee may terminate the employment contract by providing advance notice in writing to the other party on or before the due date of wage payment for the termination to take effect on the following due date of wage payment. For example, for employees paid on the 5th of each month, notice on or before April 5th is required for termination to be effective on May 5. The advance notice need not be longer than 3 months. In addition, a probationary employment contract is deemed to be an indefinite contract of employment for notice purposes. An employer is permitted to pay the wages due to the employee during the notice period and immediately dismiss the employee.
Thailand's labor law mandates the payment of severance benefits to dismissed employees as follows: If the employee has continuously been employed with the employer for more than 120 days, but less than 1 year, they will be entitled to a payment equal to 30 days of wages If the employee has continuously been employed with the employer for more than 1 year but less than 3 years, they will be entitled to a payment equal to 90 days of wages If the employee has continuously been employed with the employer for more than 3 years, but less than 6 years, they will be entitled to a payment equal to 180 days of wages If the employee has continuously been employed with the employer for more than 6 years, but less than 10 years, they will be entitled to a payment equal to 240 days of wages If the employee has continuously been employed with the employer for 10 or more years, they will be entitled to a payment equal to 300 days of wages
In Thailand, the Social Security Fund provides retirement benefits to insured employees at the age of 55 years if they have paid at least 180 months' contributions. Employees may choose to receive the benefits in the form of monthly pensions or lump-sum superannuation gratuity. The monthly pension is calculated as 20% of the average monthly salary in the last 60 months before retirement, plus 1.5% per year of contributions beyond 180 months. Insured persons who have paid less than 180 contributions are eligible to receive all the contributions paid in a lump sum. Contributions are made by both employees and employers.
The Social Security Fund of Thailand provides benefits to survivors in case of death of an insured person that is not caused by a work-related accident or disease, provided that the deceased had paid contributions for at least 1 month during the 6 months before their death. Survivors of the deceased employee may include their spouse, children, or parents. The following benefits are paid to survivors: Funeral expenses up to THB 50,000 (Thai baht) Survivors benefits equivalent to 2 months' of the employee's wages if they had paid contributions for 36 months to less than 120 months or 6 months' wages if they had paid contributions for more than 120 months In case of death that is due to a work-related accident or disease, employers are also obligated to pay monthly pensions to survivors. In this case, the pension paid is 70% of the employee's monthly wages for up to ten years.
The Social Security Fund of Thailand provides life and disability benefits to the insured persons who have paid contributions for at least 3 months in the 15 months before the onset of disability, provided that the reasons for disability are not work-related. The disability benefits consist of medical expenses, rehabilitation expenses, transportation expenses, and pension. The benefits received in case of permanent disability are equal to 50% of the wages received by the employee, for a lifetime. For other disabilities, the amount of pension depends on the degree of disability and loss of earnings. In case of disability caused by a work-related accident or disease, employees are entitled to a pension. For a temporary disability, 70% of the monthly wages of the employee is paid for up to 1 year. For permanent disability, 70% of the monthly wages of the employee is paid for a lifetime.
In Thailand, a resident is defined as an individual who has resided in the country for a continuous period or periods aggregating to 180 days or more in any tax year. A resident is liable to pay tax on all their global income, while non-residents are only subject to taxation on income from sources in Thailand. The tax year is the same as the calendar year and runs from January 1 through December 31. The rates in Thailand's progressive income tax system range from 0% - 35%.
Thailand's Ministry of the Interior issued ministerial laws defining visa types, some of which are issued only to diplomatic or official passport holders. In contrast, others are issued to persons wishing to enter and temporarily stay in Thailand or to individuals wishing to enter and take up residence in the kingdom. The different visa types entitle their holders to different rights concerning the length of stay in Thailand, and visa fees vary according to visa type. General visa categories are as follows:
Foreigners are required to submit a form online to receive a digital arrival card at least 3 days before their scheduled entry date into Thailand.
Foreign nationals require a work permit issued by the Director-General of Labor to work in Thailand. An employer who wants to hire a foreign national as an employee has to apply for the permit to hire a foreign national and pay the associated fees. The employee is responsible for applying for the visa and work permit. Foreign nationals entering Thailand to work must have already obtained a non-immigrant visa to apply for a work permit. The permit is then normally issued within 7 business days from the receipt of the application. The work permit should specify the work location, work period, nature of the work, and the employer's details. The permit is granted for up to 2 years or the job's duration in the case of temporary work. The permit can be renewed for a period of 2 years; however, the consecutive period of work cannot exceed 4 years for certain types of visa holders. An employee is required to keep the permit at the place of work. If it is lost or damaged, a new permit can be issued by applying within 15 days of the loss.
