The Effects of the First wave of COVID-19 Pandemic on Businesses with Migrant Worker in Thailand

Abstract

This article looks at effects of the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic (January to December 2020) on businesses that rely on foreign workers in Thailand. We used secondary data and in-depth interviews for this research. Five business owners from various industries were selected for the in-depth interviews. Foreign workers are important part of the labor force that drive business operations in Thailand in many sectors and since COVID-19 pandemic has many negative effects on business operations, it is important to understand the impact in both short-run and long-run effects. Many businesses face problems with cash flow, risks and uncertainties that relate to severity of the pandemic and the government policies, for examples, city lockdown restrictions or national lockdown restrictions. However, there are a number businesses that benefit from the pandemic. For businesses to surf the waves of COVID-19 pandemic smoothly, they must adapt new business strategies which include managing costs that related to foreign workers.