The Thai Ministry of Labor officially announced on August 20 that foreign workers in Thailand, including Myanmar nationals, will no longer need a work transfer certificate (Bai Kan Aor) to change employers or jobs. Workers will now have the freedom to transfer to their desired workplaces without restrictions. According to migrant worker rights advocates, foreign migrant workers will no longer need to request permission letters from their previous employers when seeking to transfer to new jobs.
Previously, the Bai Kan Aor system created significant difficulties for workers. Some employers would refuse to issue transfer certificates, and new workplaces would not accept workers without these documents. Due to these challenges, workers and brokers had to spend substantial amounts of money to obtain the Bai Kan Aor. However, under the Thai Labor Ministry’s new policy, workers no longer need to handle the transfer documentation themselves. Instead, the former employer must notify the new employer within 15 days from the worker’s start date at the new workplace.
However, this change does not yet apply to workers who entered Thailand under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) system between governments. Migrant worker advocates explain that MoU workers, who have signed two-year employment contracts, can only transfer jobs after their contract period expires. Analysts expect that these reforms will lead to improved job opportunities for foreign workers in Thailand.
