South Korea is still a popular destination among Thais seeking overseas employment due to high wages driven by labour shortages in the East Asian country.
Based on Labour Ministry figures, about 25,000 Thai nationals are legally employed in South Korea under the Employment Permit System (EPS), which requires workers to meet qualification requirements, including passing a Korean language proficiency test.
However, the number of Thais working illegally is estimated to be about 140,000, with a spike in illegal job seekers entering the country as tourists.
According to the Foreign Affairs Ministry, South Korean authorities denied entry to 417 out of 697 Thai travellers visiting Jeju early this month.
Of the 280 who were allowed in for a three-day visit, 55 disappeared, forcing immigration officials to track them down.
Several Thai visitors choose to enter South Korea via Jeju island because doing so doesn't require Korea Electronic Travel Authorisation registration before departure.
The newly-introduced system is meant to help screen tourists from countries granted visa exemptions and tourists must use a mobile app before entry.
Launched in September last year, the system started accepting applications from Thai visitors in April.
Seasonal work programme
The Labour Ministry is putting the final touches to a draft memorandum of understanding (MoU) on a seasonal work programme (SWP) to increase legal employment opportunities for Thais seeking jobs in South Korea.
Surachai Chaitrakulthong, assistant to the labour minister, said the ministry has negotiated with South Korean officials a quota of Thai workers in the agricultural sector during the harvest season.
The SWP is an employment scheme under which local governments in South Korea agree to allow overseas nationals to work on farms for a short period of between six to eight months.
The foreign workers must return home after their contracts expire.
After the two governments sign the MoU, the next step is to sign MoUs on seasonal worker supplies with local governments and start the recruitment process, Mr Surachai.
He said the SWP is a joint attempt by Thai and South Korean authorities to curb an influx of illegal Thai workers while alleviating a labour shortage in South Korea's agricultural sector.
Labour Minister Suchart Chomklin said the ministry is stepping up measures against illegal job hunters following a report that half of Thai travellers are denied entry to South Korea.
The Department of Employment has been told to keep an eye out for potential illegal job seekers at Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports, he said.
A total of 328 people have had their travel documents suspended over suspicious behaviour this year, while 112 people have been arrested and charged in connection with illegal job placement schemes that resulted in 158 victims and financial damage worth 12.75 million baht, he said.
Inadequate labour force
A Labour Ministry source said foreign workers employed under the EPS are hired for three sectors -- industrial work, construction, farming and livestock.
Almost 90% of those who get jobs are men needed in industrial and construction work while the rest are women employed for farm work.
Those employed in the industrial and construction sectors tend to switch jobs across the three sectors during their stay.
Farm workers, on the other hand, have a limited choice; they can move to jobs with new employers but only within the same sector.
South Korea's agricultural sector faces a serious shortage of workers and the situation has attracted illegal job hunters from Thailand often referred to as "little ghosts", the source said.
Even though they are hired under the EPS, farm workers receive much lower wages than those in the other two sectors. They also face harsh working conditions such as extreme cold or heat.
However, many are prepared to endure these conditions, especially if they are lucky enough to have an employer who provides proper food and shelter and lends an ear to their problems.
"It's like winning a lottery when you don't have to change jobs and save brokerage fees," said one worker in Thailand.
He said many farm workers do not get the wages they were promised without knowing why. Coupled with hard work and harsh living conditions, many changed jobs and became little ghosts.
Jobs for couples
Citing a study on the employment of Thai workers in South Korea, Samarn Laodamrongchai, an academic at Chulalongkorn University's East Asian Studies Institute, said Thai workers usually face a language barrier and many abandon work out of boredom as they cannot communicate with colleagues and employers.
Farm work, however, does not require language proficiency, only experience and skills that can be acquired on the job, he said.
He said the study, by a team of labour academics led by workers rights expert Supang Chantavanich, also found South Korean farm owners are interested in hiring married couples with working experience as they tend to be more committed and responsible to work.
He said husbands usually receive higher pay than their wives who are assigned less laborious work, but this kind of arrangement is believed to help employers retain their workers.
It will also boost job opportunities for Thai women, he noted.
"[The arrangement] makes everyone happy. The workers will adjust better, and won't abandon their jobs," he said.
"The employers don't have to look for replacements."
Mr Samran said this form of employment should be considered to boost job opportunities for Thais who can save more for their future, and sharing jobs can also help prevent breakups.
Citing the findings, he said demand for Thai workers in South Korea is high because of their level of productivity, commitment to work and good manners towards colleagues and employers.
