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โครงการหนังสืออิเล็กทรอนิกส์ด้านการเกษตร เฉลิมพระเกียรติพระบาทสมเด็จพระเจ้าอยู่หัว

Abstract

The main question of this research is how to explain Thai labor migration, considering both inter-regional
and inter-industry labor mobility, to determine which variables are most relevant in affecting labor migration with

special attention to agricultural labor. Additionally, this research aims to clarify the role of wages in order to
predict the effect on agricultural workers of raising minimum daily wage that have been effective since January
st
1 , 2013. However, the result indicates that a wage rate take a trivial role in migratory decisions. If a wage rate
increase as double as an original rate, it will increase in labor migration by 0.01 – 0.07% for both agricultural and
non-agricultural sectors. In the meanwhile, unemployment rates are the most important reason for labor migration
as a push rather than pull factor. In the other words, if there is an increase in unemployment rate, workers will

emigrate to either the agricultural or non-agricultural sectors. Nonetheless, the important barrier of inter-sectorial
migration is a level of education. Non-agricultural workers has the higher educational level relative to agricultural

workers. They are trying to get a job in non-agricultural market because the agricultural sector does not provide
a job and a wage that are suitable for their accomplished knowledge. As a result, the labor supply of
non-agricultural labor market is elastic without a growth of its labor demand. On the contrary, there is a shortage

of labor in agricultural labor market with a continually growth of demand for agricultural workers. Raising minimum
daily wage accelerates these issues into a severe situation. It reduces the demand for labor in the
non-agricultural market that has an elastic labor supply. It also immoderate a low wage in the agricultural market

because a part of labor excess supply in the non-agricultural sector migrate to the agricultural sector. According
to this phenomenon, labor migration increases the wage gap between the non-agricultural and agricultural
sectors.