Labor Minister Suchart Chomklin has said Thailand will focus on sending skilled or semi-skilled workers to Saudi Arabia to fulfill the Gulf state’s wishes.
He said Thai workers can now work in Saudi Arabia, thanks to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s efforts to restore relations between the two countries after three decades of sour ties.
Riyadh cut trade and diplomatic ties with Bangkok after the so-called Blue Diamond affair, in which the theft of jewelry by a Thai worker from a Saudi palace in 1989 was followed by the murder of Saudi representatives in Thailand.
“Overseas labor markets will be opportunities for our children to gain experience and learn new technologies that can be applied in Thailand,” Suchart claimed.
He promised a memorandum of understanding with Saudi Arabia to send workers to the Gulf state within 90 days.
The Saudi crown prince has a vision to build a huge city with modern technology as a financial center in the Middle East, which would create more than 1 million jobs, Suchart emphasized.
Saudi Arabia has an urgent demand for workers in the tourism, hotels, restaurants and healthcare sectors, he added.
Meanwhile, the director-general of the Ministry of Employment, Pairoj Chotikasathien, said seven Saudi Arabian companies have filed requests for 2,161 Thai employees of the department, including nurses, drivers, cleaning personnel and engineers.
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