Thailand's work scheme puts 6,800 Myanmar camp refugees into jobs

Thailand began letting long-staying refugees from Myanmar work legally outside the country's border camps in October 2025, reversing a policy that had kept them inside the camps for decades. The Thai government says 6,800 camp refugees have entered the labour force in the scheme's first year, though labour and refugee rights groups say serious problems remain.

Key facts

• The work permits started in October 2025 for refugees from Myanmar who have stayed long-term in Thai camps.
• Nine camps along the Thai-Myanmar border hold more than 100,000 people, some since the 1980s.
• Participants may work in 43 of Thailand's 76 provinces, in any sector not reserved by law for Thai citizens.
• The government says 6,800 refugees have joined the Thai labour force in the first year.
• Reported wages range from 200 to 400 baht (about $12) a day in the cases described.

Why did Thailand change the rules?

Until the change, the Thai government refused to let camp residents leave to find work, and most relied on foreign donor aid. Cutbacks in that aid — mostly by the United States — then forced the camps to reduce food support and healthcare.

Around the same time, fighting between Thailand and Cambodia over territorial claims sent hundreds of thousands of Cambodian migrant workers home, leaving a labour gap. To cope with both the aid cuts and the shortage of workers, the government began issuing permits to work outside the camps.

Who can work, and where?

Refugees from the camps can take jobs in 43 of Thailand's 76 provinces and in any sector that Thai law does not reserve for Thai citizens. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the government has improved vocational training inside the camps to prepare refugees for work outside.

Ministry spokesman Praporn Waenluang said: "We are hopeful that this policy would enhance opportunities."

What problems have emerged?

Observers say the scheme has started slowly and many participants are not given contracts by employers, only to find conditions rougher, work harder or pay lower than promised before they left the camps. There is also no clear system for lodging and settling complaints, they say.

Refugees are sometimes required to repay employers through wage deductions for medical exams, government permits and transport to job sites — meaning they begin work already in debt, at times without warning. One participant, Akwah, left his camp with 20 others in November 2025 for what was described as sugarcane harvesting at 250 baht per day; on arrival he was told to cut eucalyptus trees for 200 baht per day, sleeping outdoors with no electricity and only a pond for water. He and the others left after three months.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to a request for comment on these reported problems, and the Labour and Interior ministries, which mainly oversee the programme, did not respond to interview requests.

What are rights groups calling for?

Rights groups want guaranteed clear and detailed contracts, translated where needed into Burmese, Karen or Karenni, and an easy-to-use complaints system. They also suggest opening more provinces to the scheme and screening the job brokers who visit the camps as middlemen.

What this means for Myanmar refugees taking part

Refugees can now earn an income and support families in the camps rather than depend on aid, but participants should be aware that reported jobs do not always match what was promised. Rights groups say their organisations are working with the government on upgrades and hope the scheme will improve, so that more refugees are able and willing to take part.