Showing 1 - 10 of 40
Bots mar SSO debate
News, Editorial, Published on 20/10/2025
» The Social Security Office (SSO) is once again at the centre of an embarrassing controversy following a recent online public hearing on reform of the pension formula for insured workers under Sections 33 and 39 of the Social Security Act.
Social Security Fund needs to reform
News, Editorial, Published on 26/02/2025
» It is good news that the fury over claims of lavish spending by the Social Security Office (SSO) has become a call for major reform of the Social Security Fund (SSF).
Labour rights in a mutating world
News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 02/12/2024
» The world of work is undergoing significant changes amidst risks in a precarious setting. The poly-crisis surrounding the workplace ranges from health risks from global warming and climate change to political constraints and demographic changes with an ageing population in several parts of the world. The challenge is thus to respond with more preparedness in the life cycle of existence, where work is a major contributor to not only human livelihood but also self-esteem, a sense of purpose and a sense of belonging. In particular, the following issues thus deserve greater attention.
India must close its gender jobs gap
News, Kanika Mahajan, Published on 07/11/2024
» While female workforce participation consistently lags behind men's globally, there are deep regional disparities, with the largest gender employment gaps found in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) states and South Asia.
Ease foreign tax burden
News, Editorial, Published on 24/06/2024
» The recent proposal to amend Thailand's foreign income tax regulations has sparked significant debate among expatriates and international investors. This move has raised numerous concerns that urgently need to be addressed.
Overhauling defence
News, Editorial, Published on 15/01/2024
» While Defence Minister Sutin Klungsang's plan to seek 600 million baht from the central budget to fund an early retirement scheme for high-ranking generals is a step in the right direction towards streamlining the armed forces, it nevertheless falls short of the promises it had made.
COP28 won't admit real cost of net zero
News, Bjorn Lomborg, Published on 06/12/2023
» The spectacle of another annual climate conference is getting underway in Dubai. Like Kabuki theater, performative set pieces lead from one to the other: politicians and celebrities arrive by private jets; speakers predict imminent doom; hectoring NGOs cast blame; political negotiations become fraught and inevitably go overtime; and finally: the signing of a new agreement that participants hope and pretend will make a difference.
Time to tackle VAT
News, Editorial, Published on 29/08/2023
» It has become the pattern that every time the Ministry of Finance floats the idea of raising value-added tax (VAT) or making any changes at all, critics come out to bombard the plan, sending officials running for cover.
Old, poor and unemployable
News, Editorial, Published on 12/02/2023
» When it comes to demographics, it is no secret that Thailand is quite an anomaly.
Japan is facing a fiscal dilemma
News, Takatoshi Ito, Published on 06/02/2023
» Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida recently unveiled an ambitious plan to double the country's defence budget to ¥43 trillion, roughly 2% of Japan's GDP, over the next five years. Notably, the country's massive rearmament programme, its biggest since the end of World War II, has not triggered a political or public backlash. With Japan facing multiple security threats, including North Korean missile tests, Chinese coast-guard ships encroaching on its territorial waters and Russia's militarisation of the disputed Kuril Islands (known in Japan as the Northern Territories), polls show public support for the proposed increase.