Stakeholder Collaboration Guidelines to Promote the Well-Being of Transport Workers via Digital Platforms in Thailand

Abstract

This research aims to study the current situation and future trends of The Gig Economy and the Workforce in Digital Platform Transport Services in Thailand. This will lead to the identification of the appropriate roles of stakeholders in promoting well-being that align with the expectations of digital platform transport workers in Thailand. This research employs a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative methods. The quantitative study utilized questionnaires administered to a sample of 2,703 digital platform transport workers in Thailand. The qualitative study involved in-depth interviews with target groups, including merchants, digital platform business operators in Thailand, and government agencies, as well as focus group discussions with 20 people.

The research findings revealed that: 1) The Gig Economy and the workforce in digital platform-based transportation services are growing rapidly worldwide, including in Thailand. The "Gig Economy" is projected to become the "main economic system" in Thailand soon. 2) Workers in the digital platform transport service sector in Thailand believe there is still a “needs gap” between the “actual situation” and the “expectations” regarding the roles of each stakeholder group and the factors that promote well-being. This reflects the need to enhance the collaborative role of all stakeholder groups and the expectation of support based on the five factors that promote well-being, and 3) Policy guidelines for promoting the well-being of workers in digital platform transportation services in Thailand should be divided into two phases: Phase 1 focuses on market protection and worker support, and Phase 2 focuses on synergy and collaboration.