Thailand reels from labor shortage due to clash with Cambodia

Thailand is facing a dire labor shortage following a mass exodus of Cambodian workers, prompted by the ongoing border tensions between the two countries.

Estimates suggest almost half of Cambodian workers in Thailand have already left, crippling key industries in Thailand.

Empty spaces tell the story.

Machinery shutdown, because there's no one to operate it.

Out of just over 100 workers at a meat processing factory in Thailand, 45 are Cambodian who have gone home.

Many have left abandoning possessions, as tensions remain high along the Thai-Cambodian border just a short distance away.

"It's affecting production a lot. We used to run at full capacity every day, but now production has dropped by almost 60 percent. All the Cambodian workers have gone," said Tanagriss Prasittimay, a factory owner.

It's a problem being repeated across the country. It's estimated that there are around a million Cambodians in Thailand, with some working legally and some undocumented, filling jobs that have help keep the Thai economy afloat, mostly in construction, foodstuffs and agriculture.

But some reports suggest almost half that number have left following border clashes between the two countries.

That has led to an acute labor shortage in Thailand and triggered a big loss to the Cambodian economy, where around 6.5 percent of GDP stems from income earned in Thailand.

Thailand knows it needs foreign workers, and says it's keeping open jobs for Cambodians despite the tensions in the hope they will return. It's also looking at recruiting more workers from Laos, Myanmar and Sri Lanka. But it's unclear if it can recruit sufficient numbers to fill the gaps.

Thai workers say they miss their Cambodian colleagues.

"It's really heartbreaking to see so many coworkers gone. It's like a tree having most of its leaves plucked off. The impact has been tough. We have to work a lot more than before but still production has gone down a lot," said Prayong Suebsri, a Thai worker.

Despite the exodus, a number of Cambodians working further away from the border have chosen to remain in Thailand, drawn by the need to earn money and the lack of employment at home.

Thailand is trying to reassure them, but many are said to be uneasy about their situation.

Thailand reels from labor shortage due to clash with Cambodia

China and Canada should work together to promote the stable, healthy and sustainable development of bilateral economic and trade relations, Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng said in Beijing on Friday.

He, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks while attending the Canada-China Trade and Investment Banquet together with the visiting Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

Speaking at the event, He said that under the strategic guidance of the important consensus reached by their leaders, China and Canada should adhere to the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, win-win cooperation, and mutual success, and jointly promote the stable, healthy, and sustainable development of bilateral economic and trade relations.

China is steadfastly expanding high-standard opening up, continuously developing new quality productive forces, and is willing to work with countries around the world, including Canada, to create new prospects for cooperation, said He.

Carney noted at the banquet that China is Canada's second-largest trading partner and said Canada looks forward to strengthening high-level exchanges with China, making full use of dialogue mechanisms in areas such as the economy and trade, and deepening cooperation in trade, agriculture, energy and other fields.

Carney arrived in Beijing on Wednesday to begin a four-day official visit to China, marking the first trip to the country by a Canadian prime minister in eight years.

China, Canada should work together for stable, healthy, sustainable economic ties: Vice Premier