Post-Flood: Massive lay offs feared

27,390 workers already laid off in provinces around Bangkok. 822,341 have returned to work but 167,753 employees still without jobs.

Photo above of factory workers at work at a furniture factory in Chachoengsao.

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FLOOD AFTERMATH: Ministry sounds job loss alert by Penchan Charoensuthipan

The Labour Ministry is monitoring 12 industries which it considers are most likely to lay off more workers in the aftermath of the floods.

The ministry has raised concerns about the fate of the jobs following a report from its labour economics office which says eight out of 13 key indicators to a possible critical employment situation had arisen.

The 12 industries at risk are: auto, office machinery, electronics, textile, garment, household appliances, television and radio sets, rubber, chemical supplies, plastic pellets, petroleum, and general machinery.

The indicators included an 80% slump in car and motorcycle sales last November when compared with figures reported in the same month of 2010, said the permanent secretary for labour Somkiart Chayasriwong.

Significant decreases in the economic confidence index, electricity consumption rates, private spending and consumption rates, and export values in November 2010 were further signs of dark times facing the 12 industries.

It is feared these factors could lead to a massive number of lay-offs in these industries.

Labour Protection and Welfare Department chief Arthit Ismo said 28,316 businesses in seven provinces affected by the flooding last year had resumed operations and 822,341 employees in total had returned to work.

The seven provinces were Ayutthaya, Pathum Thani, Chachoengsao, Saraburi, Nakhon Pathom, Nonthaburi, and Bangkok.

However, at least 27,390 workers have already been laid off in these provinces, said Mr Arthit.

Around 350 other factories have yet to resume normal operations and their 167,753 employees are still without jobs, he said.

Rung Ayu, 38, a former worker at an electronics factory in the Saha Rattana Nakorn Industrial Estate in Ayutthaya, said she is now too old to seek a new job because 35 was normally the maximum age for a job seeker wanting to work in a factory.

Mrs Rung said she had to quit the company she was employed by for many years because her bosses had asked her to go to work in Rayong province which she could not do.

The Ayutthaya factory where she worked has yet to reopen. Her husband and children are in Ayutthaya, and Rayong is too far.

Prawit Khiangphon, director-general of the Employment Department, said the cabinet has approved a proposal to grant a special work permit to overseas mechanics with expertise in repairing flood-damaged factory machinery.

Mechanics from the US, Europe, Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea would be eligible for the six-month work permit.

(Source: Bangkok Post, FLOOD AFTERMATH, Ministry sounds job loss alert, 19/01/2012, Penchan Charoensuthipan, link) 

Employment Vocabulary

aftermath - the situation and events that happen after a big event or disaster
flood aftermath - the situation and things that happened after the flood

alert - a warning to people to be prepared to deal with something dangerous การเตือนให้ระวัง การเตรียมพร้อม ตื่นตัว ระวัง เตือนภัย to tell someone in authority about a danger or problem so that they can take action to deal with แจ้งให้ทราบ, บอก
sound alert - give a warning to people (tell them about something bad that might happen)

monitoring - regularly checking an ongoing activity or process (to check for problems or collect information) จับตาดู
ministry - a government department dealing with an area of activity กระทรวง
lay off - when people lose their job (because there is no work, not because they did something wrong) 
lay off workers  
in the aftermath of the floods - after the floods (among all the bad things that happened as a result)
The Labour Ministry is monitoring 12 industries which it considers are most likely to lay off more workers in the aftermath of the floods.

concerns - worries ความกังวล
raised concerns - told people the things it is worried about

fate - what will happen in the future; the things that happen to someone, especially unpleasant things ชะตากรรม
the fate of the jobs - what will happen to the jobs in the future
The ministry has raised concerns about the fate of the jobs

key - important คนสำคัญ
indicate (verb) - show
X points to Y - X indicates Y, X shows that Y is true
indicator (noun) - a measure that shows something (announced regularly), same as "index"
key indicators - important indicators
critical - very important, very serious and dangerous; extremely important because a future situation will be affected by it สำคัญยิ่ง อย่างรุนแรง อย่างวิกฤต
employment - having a paid job

X out of Y -
eight out of 13 key indicators point to a possible critical employment situation 

risk - danger, how likely or possible it is for a bad event that causes harm and damage ความเสี่ยง
at risk - in a dangerous situation, something bad might happen to it
industries at risk - industries in a dangerous situation

textile - cloth, fabric for making clothes
garment - clothes

household - a group of people, often a family, who live together ครัวเรือน
household appliances - machines that people use around the home to do work (washing machine, oven, etc)

pellet - a small ball of some material (plastic, food, mud, paper, metal, etc)
plastic pellets

slump - to fall suddenly ตกต่ำมาก a period when an economy is much less successful than before and many people lose their jobs ช่วงเศรษฐกิจตกต่ำ
slump in sales - a fall, decrease, drop in sales
an 80% slump in car and motorcycle sales

figures - statistics, numbers
permanent - happening or existing for a long time or for all time in the future ถาวร

confidence - feeling sure about something; being certain; trusting and believing in something ความมั่นใจ ความเชื่อมั่น
economic confidence - how sure people feel about the future economy (and their own economic situiation, income, whether business will be good, etc)
index - a number announced regularly (every month, for example) that measures something (example: unemployment index, stock market index)
economic confidence index

consumption - money spent by households and families on goods and services;  using, eating or drinking something การบริโภค (See Wikipedia)
electricity consumption rates - the amount of electricity being used over a period of time
private spending - non-government spending, spending by households and businesses
private spending and consumption rates

dark times - difficult times, a period of time when  people have many difficulties (low income, no job, etc)
signs - things that you can see that show that something is true
signs of dark times - things that show you that it is a period when people have many problems 
signs of dark times facing the 12 industries.

factors - the different things that affect the outcome of a situation, event, or decision   ปัจจัย
massive - very large in size, amount or numberใหญ่โต
It is feared these factors could lead to a massive number of lay-offs in these industries 

resume - start again after stopping for a period of time ดำเนินต่อไปใหม่, กลับมาอีกครั้ง
resume operations - start the company again, after stopping for a period of time
resume normal operations

maximum - the most possible ที่สูงสุด ที่มากที่สุด
maximum age - the oldest age possible (people over this age cannot do it)
maximum age for a job seeker - the oldest a person can be to get a job
35 was normally the maximum age for a job seeker wanting to work in a factory.

the company she was employed by for many years

proposal - a plan or suggestion for a group to consider ข้อเสนอ
grant - to officially give something ให้
work permit - official permission from the government for a foreigner to work in a country
expertise - special skills or knowledge used to do a job or some task (from study or practical experience) ความถนัด a high level of knowledge or skill ทักษะความรู้, ความคิดเห็นของผู้เชี่ยวชาญ special detailed knowledge of a subject ความชำนาญเฉพาะทาง
the cabinet has approved a proposal to grant a special work permit to overseas mechanics with expertise in repairing flood-damaged factory machinery

eligible - meet the requirements (conditions, qualifications, skills) needed to receive something; allowed by rules or laws to do something or to receive something มีสิทธิ มีสิทธิชอบธรรมตามกฎหมาย เอื้อด้วยกฎหมาย ที่มีคุณสมบัติพร้อม  ซึ่งมีคุณสมบัติเหมาะสม
eligible for the six-month work permit.