ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a complex picture of Thailand’s informal work landscape. Despite rapid industrialisation and the availability of formal employment, approximately 70 per cent of Thailand’s workforce remains informally employed. Not surprisingly, formal workers earn more than informal workers in the economy as a whole. However, the case studies on domestic work and manufacturing show there is significant variation in formal-informal wage gaps within industry. Furthermore, informal employment provides amenities, such as work flexibility and, in the case of sex work, discretion, that cannot be easily provided in formal work situations. The Thai case shows that blanket formalisation is not necessarily good for everyone. An approach that incorporates social norms and the balance of women’s labour force participation and care work across the life cycle will likely lead to more favourable gendered outcomes.
