Economy and industry
Labour Ministry readying more help
The Labour Ministry will next week ask the cabinet to approve a fresh proposal on financial aid for another group of 800,000 workers affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Labour Minister MR Chatu Mongol Sonakul.He said these workers are not covered by the relief ...
Penchan Charoensuthipan
Delivering the goods in the age of coronavirus
With extensive experience in family businesses, politics and regulation, Korkij Danchaivichit has a strong will to shore up Thailand Post as it weathers fierce competition from other courier services.Mr Korkij started work as chief executive of the postal service on March 2, becoming the first ...
Komsan Tortermvasana
New virus app a powerful tool
A new mobile app, Mor Chana, has been launched as a powerful tool to help people assess their coronavirus infection risk, assist health authorities in tracking users in close contact with infected people and prevent transmission among healthcare workers.The app is the result of collaboration ...
Suchit Leesa-Nguansuk
Covid-19 stimulus may sink economy
It is undeniable the Covid-19 outbreak is wreaking havoc on economies worldwide. To lessen the pain on their citizens and prevent economic free-fall into the recession trap, most governments are rolling out stimulus packages, typically consisting of cash handouts, wage compensation and concessional loans.Keep reading ...
Chartchai Parasuk
Minimum wage waive floated to sustain SMEs
The government is being advised to waive the daily minimum wage requirement for six months to help entrepreneurs maintain employment during the pandemic.Thanit Sorat, vice-chairman of the National Labour Development Advisory Council, said the council estimated that the country’s total unemployed could reach 9-10 million ...
Chatrudee Theparat
Finance Ministry to reduce period for handouts
The Finance Ministry could shorten the six-month period for handing out 5,000 baht a month to informal workers affected by the outbreak if the coronavirus pandemic can be contained before September, says the head of the Fiscal Policy Office (FPO).The government will redirect the budget ...
Wichit Chantanusornsiri
Agency sees -1% inflation
Thailand’s inflation rate may be as low as -1% this year as the escalating spread of Covid-19 has weakened overall domestic demand.Pimchanok Vonkorpon, director-general of the Trade Policy and Strategy Office, the planning unit of the Commerce Ministry, said a -1% inflation rate would be ...
Phusadee Arunmas
Consumer prices drop 0.54% y/y in March, most in over 4 years
Thailand’s headline consumer price index (CPI) dropped 0.54% in March from a year earlier, the weakest in 51 months, but slightly better than expectations, commerce ministry data showed on Tuesday.The reading compared with a forecast decline of 0.60% in a Reuters poll, and with February’s ...
Thai stocks surge on easing virus cases, economic stimulus
Thai stocks surged as trading resumed after the Chakri Memorial Day holiday, boosted by rising optimism about a waning coronavirus outbreak and the government’s new economic stimulus.The benchmark SET Index rose 6.7% as of 4.58pm in Bangkok, poised for the highest gain since March 11. ...
Bangkok Post Reporter
Cabinet gives green light to B1.9tn stimulus
The cabinet on Tuesday approved 1.9-trillion-baht spending to help people and businesses affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), including 600 billion baht for six-month cash giveaways and 500-billion-baht soft loans for small and medium-sized businesses.The package, the third phase of the stimulus programme to ...
Chatrudee Theparat