NESDB warns of Thailand's post-flood illnesses and unemployment

BANGKOK, November 28 (TNA) - Thailand's Office of the National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) has warned people of flood-borne illnesses and unemployment in the coming months, in the wake of the country's flooding crisis. NESDB Deputy Secretary General Suwannee Khamman said on Monday there are now concerns that tension among flood victims will lead to depression, as a latest survey from July 25-November 25, 2011 found that as many as 120,000 flood affected people suffering from depression, although overall health problems in Thailand declined in the third quarter, from July-September. Suwannee acknowledged that narcotic and criminal cases, especially physical assaults, have also increased during flooding, although overall improvement in the Thai society was reported in the third quarter. According to the NESDB deputy chief, Thailand's unemployment rates may rise by 1-2 per cent in the fourth quarter of this year due to flood-impacts, after standing at 0.7 per cent, accounting for about 260,000 people, in the third quarter when labour shortage was relieved and the government's announcement on first raising daily minimum wages in seven provinces to 300 baht on April 1, 2012 has prompted local workers to develop their skills. The NESDB deputy chief assessed, however, that the increased unemployment in the Thai economy should be short-lived, as flood-hit business operators, including those in the service sector, will soon recover and play their most important roles in retaining skilled labour, thanks to the government's immediate rehabilitation plans and returning workforces to normal production. Meanwhile, the government's think tank reported that Thailand's employment in the third quarter of this year rose by 1.6 per cent year-on-year, with the highest employment increment of 4.3 per cent year-on-year found in the local construction sector. (TNA)