No more changes to minimum wage this year, says minister
Minister Pongkawin Jungrungruangkit said on Tuesday that two wage adjustments have already taken place this year.
The minimum wage is usually only adjusted once a year, he said after a meeting of the national wage committee, which includes representatives of government, business and labour.
Committee members met on Tuesday to consider extending the 400-baht minimum wage to more areas of the country but decided to put consideration on hold until 2026.
The current minimum daily wage rates vary by province and range from 337 to 400 baht. A recent adjustment on July 1 extended the 400-baht rate to Bangkok and to all hotels and entertainment venues nationwide, regardless of location.
The 400-baht rate also applies in a handful of other high-cost provinces: Chon Buri, Phuket, Rayong, and Koh Samui in Surat Thani. Elsewhere, rates range from 337 to 380 baht.
Asked whether the 400-baht rate would be applied nationwide by 2026, Mr Pongkawin said no clear timeline has been set.
A single nationwide rate of 400-baht was a flagship campaign pledge by the Pheu Thai Party before the 2023 election.
However, businesses and the wage committee have opposed the idea as impractical because it fails to take into account differences in living costs across the country.
The latest wage order also includes a provision that limits working hours for employees in hazardous occupations to no more than seven hours per day, in accordance with the Labour Protection Act.
For other jobs, the standard working hours remain capped at eight hours per day. Employers are also required to pay no less than the statutory minimum wage, even if employees work fewer hours than the standard full-day schedule.
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