27/01/2017 - Thailand has one of the fastest ageing societies in the world. The United Nations estimates that between 2016 and 2040, the proportion of people aged 65 years and above is projected to increase from 7.5 million to 17 million – more than a quarter of the population. This demographic shift is to be accompanied by an 11 percent decline in working age population, the fastest contraction in the region.

Migrant workers are projected to fill the labour gap as a result, particularly as caregivers for elder family members in Thai households. In anticipation of this, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has partnered with HomeNet Thailand and the National Catholic Commission on Migration to provide elderly caregiving skills training for female migrants over the course of 10 weeks, starting on 29 January.

The 80 hour training programme, to be conducted by the Ditsara Child and Elderly Care School every Sunday, is expected to benefit 32 migrant domestic workers from Myanmar. Modules will be specially tailored to the needs of the group and will cover a broad range of topics. These include meeting daily needs of the elderly such as bathing, dressing and personal grooming. Emphasis will also be placed on providing basic medical training such as first aid, chronic disease management and nasogastric intubation.

“As economic expansion continues and Thai society ages, we expect the demand for migrant labour with knowledge in elderly caregiving to increase in the years to come,” said Dana Graber Ladek, IOM Thailand’s Chief of Mission. “The skills obtained through this training will help increase the employability of these women and enable them to progress into the care sector with increased opportunities to work for other employers, such as nursing homes.”

The elderly care skills training programme is one of several activities IOM implements under the project Poverty Reduction through Skills Development for Safe and Regular Migration in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam (PROMISE).

Funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the project aims to improve access to better employment opportunities and conditions for migrants, particularly female migrants, and enhance the positive outcomes of migration on poverty reduction and socio-economic development in countries of origin.

For further information please contact Petra Neumann at IOM Thailand, Tel: +66 2 343 9333, Email: pneumann@iom.int