PHUKET: Despite growing numbers of resorts on Phuket and expansion of the holiday island's property industry, the total of work permits issued to expats remained at 11,528 in July, 2015.
About 3.7 million overseas and domestic visitors have come to Phuket by air so far in 2015.
It comes as a surprise that a foreign workforce totalling just 11,528 - together with a large number of Thais in tourism - meets all their needs.
The total does not include people from the neighboring countries of Burma (Myanmar) Cambodia and Laos.
Mostly employed in construction and fishing, a total of 78,000 people from those three countries are working legally on Phuket, according to the Labor Office.
''The number of work permits has not changed a great deal,'' a spokesperson said. ''We would expect it to go a little higher for the high season.''
Most of the expats were from Britain, Russia, the Philippines, France, the US, Italy, Australia and China in descending order, the spokesperson said.
The steady figure of 11,528 expat work permits contrasts with the increasing flow of tourists through Phuket International Airport.
Figures provided by Airports of Thailand show at least one million passengers have passed through the Phuket facility in five of the first seven months of 2015.
The AoT figures are based on arrivals and departures.
An approximate figure for the number of domestic and international visitors for the first seven months of the year can be achieved by cutting the year to August passenger total of 7.4 million in half.
About 3.7 million overseas and domestic visitors have come to Phuket by air so far in 2015.
It comes as a surprise that a foreign workforce totalling just 11,528 - together with a large number of Thais in tourism - meets all their needs.
The total does not include people from the neighboring countries of Burma (Myanmar) Cambodia and Laos.
Mostly employed in construction and fishing, a total of 78,000 people from those three countries are working legally on Phuket, according to the Labor Office.
''The number of work permits has not changed a great deal,'' a spokesperson said. ''We would expect it to go a little higher for the high season.''
Most of the expats were from Britain, Russia, the Philippines, France, the US, Italy, Australia and China in descending order, the spokesperson said.
The steady figure of 11,528 expat work permits contrasts with the increasing flow of tourists through Phuket International Airport.
Figures provided by Airports of Thailand show at least one million passengers have passed through the Phuket facility in five of the first seven months of 2015.
The AoT figures are based on arrivals and departures.
An approximate figure for the number of domestic and international visitors for the first seven months of the year can be achieved by cutting the year to August passenger total of 7.4 million in half.
Who needs a work permit when they have facebook to act as realtor, manicurist, IT consultant, honey farmer, etc etc
Posted by Sam C on August 19, 2015 07:05