The cabinet met on Tuesday, September 3, 2013. Some of the decisions are as follows:
The Cabinet acknowledged the strategies for the development of labor force in automotive and automotive parts industry, B.E. 2556-2563, as proposed by Ministry of Labor, and assigned concerned offices to coordinate and integrate the implementation of Strategies for the development of labor force in automotive and automotive parts industry B.E. 2556-2563.
Strategies for the development of labor force in automotive and automotive parts industry are as follows:
First Strategy: Development of labor capacity to meet global standard
Second Strategy: Development of standard career/labor skills and capacity
Third Strategy: Development of labor database system in labor market, needs and network promotion of skilled labor development
Fourth Strategy: Establishment of the institute for development of medium and high level human resources in automotive industry
The Cabinet acknowledged the announcement of Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives on the exemption of fee excised from rubber exporters to support Rubber Replanting Aid Fund in pursuant to the Act on Rubber Replanting Aid Fund B.E. 2503.
In order to assist rubber growers during the fall of rubber prices, and in pursuant to Section 6 of the Act on Rubber Replanting Aid Fund B.E. 2503, Ministry released the following announcement:
For the rubber exporters, from September 2, 2013 to December 31, 2013, there shall be an exemption of fee excised to support Rubber Replanting Aid Fund in pursuant to Section 5 of the Act on Rubber Replanting Aid Fund B.E. 2503 and additional amendment for all types of rubber that the exporters buy from the farmers.
Announcement released on September 2, 2013.
The Cabinet acknowledged the summary of report on conditions of Thai society during the second quarter of B.E. 2556 as proposed by the Office of the National Economics and Social Development Board (NESDB). Details are as follows:
1. Employment and income
1.1 Employment rate increases by 0.7 per cent and unemployment rate is by 0.73 per cent, which is still lower than those of the same period of last year.
1.2 Employment and income in the private sector (excluding overtime payment and other fringe benefits) increases by 7.0 per cent.
1.3 Youth labor that will be the main force of the future declines and are mostly at low education level.
2. Health: Children are more stressed and there is higher rate of suicide and a tendency of contracting sexually transmitted diseases among them.
3. Behaviors and livelihood of the people in Thai society: There is a declining rate of people smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol.
4. Social security: following are the points that require close attention.
4.1 Epidemic of drugs is still in serious condition.
4.2 Traffic-related accidents rate increases by 9 per cent from the same quarter of last year.
5. Teenage pregnancy...Problem and solution
The increase of teenage pregnancy affects the labor force as these teenage parents lack working capacity and opportunity and will eventually become a vulnerable group risking of being trapped in cycle of poverty, the condition which will be passed on to their children. However, general fertility rate tends to decline which results in a decreasing rate of child birth. A number of children also does not receive full potential development which impact the future’s labor force needed in an aging society.
5.1 Status and characteristics of teenage pregnancy
1) There is an increasing rate of teenage pregnancy in 15-19 year old girls from 39.7 per cent in 1996 to 53.6 in 2011 per 1,000 female demographical samples.
2) Number of teenage mothers is corresponded with the average year of education and poverty.
3) This increasing number of teenage mothers does not include pregnant youths who performed abortion since the information on this issue is not sufficient. However, it is estimated that there are 100,000-200,000 abortions conducted annually, 1 in 3 of which accounts for teenage pregnancy and can be calculated as 30,000-50,000 cases.
5.2 Solutions to the teenage pregnancy problem
1) Support their continuation in basic educational system and provide opportunity for teenage mothers to be back in the education cycle or post-natal career training skill
2) Promotion of family, fertility health and sexual education
3) Improvement of fertility health services based on service recipients’ needs and offering of community family planning and sex counselor services.
4) Shelters and childcare will be provided for the teenage mothers or women with unexpected pregnancy.
5) Development of information about teenage pregnancy and vulnerable groups.
6) Policy mobilization on the establishment of social aid units be expanded to the provincial level through integration of educational organizations’ implementation with assistance from concerned offices in the local area.
Following the suggestion from Ministry of Transportation, the Cabinet,
1. Agreed with the drafting of ministerial joint declaration for the Eighth APEC Transportation Ministerial Meeting.
2. Approved in principle the signing of the aforementioned draft by the Transportation Minister or an authorized person. Should necessity arise to amend the mentioned draft in the inessential parts, the amendment is within the consideration of Thai representative who may proceed without the Cabinet’s approval.
Gist of the draft ministerial joint declaration of the Eighth APEC Transportation Ministerial Meeting
This draft is for the ministers responsible for APEC’s transportation in 21 economic regions. Details are as follows:
1. To support connectivity
2. To encourage construction of transporting infrastructures
3. To head towards “Quality Transportation”
4. To prepare, respond and mitigate from natural disasters
5. To build capacity of human resources
6. Safety and security
7. To adjust automotive standards
8. Women in transportation sector
9. APEC’s environmentally-friendly ports
10. Transportation facilitation project within APEC region
--Cabinet Meeting (Yingluck Shinawatra) September 3, 2013--