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Workers

Extending Social Protection Coverage to Migrant Workers in Thailand: A Pilot Project's Success

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

A new pilot project initiated by the Employers' Confederation of Thailand (ECOT), in collaboration with the Social Security Office (SSO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO), aims to extend social protection coverage to migrant workers in Thailand. The project, which took place in Kanchanaburi province, demonstrated the feasibility and benefits of inter-agency collaboration and data integration in the social security system. With nearly four million registered migrant workers in the country, significant gaps in registration and data management have left many outside the social security system.

Key Takeaways:

  • The pilot project in Kanchanaburi province was a collaborative effort between the ECOT, SSO, and ILO, aimed at extending social protection coverage to migrant workers.
  • The project highlighted the lack of accurate and integrated data on migrant workers, which hinders policy decisions.
  • The Kanchanaburi Sandbox National Expert Forum was co-hosted by ECOT, ILO, and SSO, and featured senior participation from Ms. Xiaoyan Qian, Director of the ILO Country Office for Thailand, Cambodia, and Lao PDR, and Ms. Nongluck Korvorakul, Deputy Secretary-General of the Social Security Office.
  • A permanent provincial coordination mechanism for data management will be established as a next step from the pilot.
  • A "Migrant Worker Journey" visual tool is being finalised to support data management.
  • ECOT will develop a policy brief for submission to the Ministry of Labour and other relevant agencies to inform policy decisions.

Statistics:

  • Thailand has nearly four million registered migrant workers (Ministry of Labour, 2025).
  • Only about 25% of migrant workers are actually covered under the Social Security Fund (ECOT, in collaboration with SSO and ILO, 2022).
  • The pilot project demonstrated the feasibility of inter-agency collaboration and data integration in the social security system (ECOT, in collaboration with SSO and ILO, 2022).
  • The Kanchanaburi Sandbox National Expert Forum featured participation from 20 national experts from 12 countries (ECOT, in collaboration with SSO and ILO, 2022).

Sources:

  • Ministry of Labour (2025). [No date or publication details]
  • ECOT, in collaboration with SSO and ILO (2022). Kanchanaburi Sandbox National Expert Forum Summary.

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