BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRY'S RELATIONSHIP WITH SDG 8

As a country that managed to transform very rapidly from an agricultural economy to a modern, industrialised, and export-led one, Thailand offers important insights into the challenges of SDG 8 within rapidly developing countries (World Bank, n.d.). Thailand has recently reaffirmed its commitment to the UN’s 2030 Agenda by publishing its third Voluntary National Review in 2025, stressing the importance of taking action in the area of SDG 8 in particular (Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs [TMFA], 2025, p. 19).

Despite the remarkable economic development sustained by the country over the decades, Thailand is currently facing a concerning regression in most of SDG 8’s targets, as economic growth slows down, labour productivity growth stagnates, and informal employment increases (TMFA, 2025, pp. 136-137).

current challenges and recent developments

Over the last few years, Thailand’s labour market has managed to recover from the disruptive effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, with unemployment remaining extremely low by international standards, standing at 0.78% in 2024 (United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, n.d.). However, economic growth has remained relatively modest, as Thailand’s GDP growth continues to lag behind other similar countries in the region (World Bank, n.d.).

Thailand’s major challenge in achieving SDG 8 is represented by the persistence of widespread informal employment. In 2024, 21.1 million people, or 52.7% of Thailand’s working population, were informally employed (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD], 2025, p. 96). Rather disappointingly, there has been little progress towards reducing informal employment since the adoption of the UN’s 2030 Agenda in 2015, when the same share stood just three percentage points higher at 55.7% (TMFA, 2025, pp. 136-137). As stressed by the International Labour Organization (2015), employment within the informal economy is typically accompanied by precarious working conditions, unregulated working arrangements, and a complete lack of social and legal protection that leave most informal economy workers in an extremely vulnerable position.

Thailand is also facing low productivity growth, which risks jeopardising the country’s prospects for sustained, long-term economic growth. In 2025, Thailand’s labour productivity grew by a moderate 1.5%, trailing behind regional peers such as Malaysia or South Korea. To close this gap, important investments are necessary in improving Thailand’s education system and in developing in-demand skills across the labour force to enhance the competitiveness of the Thai economy and to secure long-term economic performance (TMFA, 2025, p. 78). Demographic shifts driven by Thailand’s ageing population further complicate Thailand’s economic outlook. As reported by the OECD (2025), Thailand’s old-age dependency ratio has increased from 10% in 2000 to 20% in 2023 (p. 20), and the TMFA (2025) estimates that nearly 30% of the Thai population will be over 60 by 2030, foreshadowing important challenges as pension costs rise and the domestic workforce shrinks (p. 79). 

list of references and useful links

International Labour Organization. (2015, March 23). Informal economy: a hazardous activity. Retrieved September 7, 2026, from https://www.ilo.org/resource/other/informal-economy-hazardous-activity

Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs. (2025). Thailand’s Voluntary National Review on the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: 2025. United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development. https://hlpf.un.org/sites/default/files/vnrs/2025/VNR%202025%20Thailand%20Report%20EN_0.pdf

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2025). OECD Economic Surveys: Thailand 2025.  https://doi.org/10.1787/426b9bc0-en

United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. (n.d.). Country Profile: Thailand. Retrieved September 7, 2026, from https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/dataportal/countryprofiles/tha

World Bank. (n.d.). Overview: Thailand. Retrieved September 7, 2026, from https://www.worldbank.org/ext/en/country/thailand#tab-about