Thailand's employment rose 1.7% in the final quarter of 2023 from a year earlier, helped by the tourism sector, after a 1.3% year-on-year increase in the previous quarter, reports Reuters, citing data from the state planning agency. According to the National Economic and Social Development Council, jobs in the hotel and restaurant sector rose 8% annually in the final quarter of 2023 as the number of tourists increased. Meanwhile, the jobless rate dropped to 0.81% in the October-December period versus 0.99% in the prior three months, the agency said. In the fourth quarter of 2023, Thailand had a workforce of 40.7 million, up from 40.5 million in the prior quarter, the agency said.

Thailand's definition of unemployment is narrow, however, and counts as jobless those who do not work a single hour in a surveyed week. Analysts say the figures do not catch Thailand's significant unofficial economy.