Livelihoods, Social Protectionism, and Thailand’s Precarious Labor Markets

Despite assurances by the Thai government that it has prioritized extensive economic improvements that will enhance people’s wellbeing, significant limitations exist within the Thai economy. Notably, Thailand has struggled to achieve sustained upward national growth while providing adequate social safety nets for working classes, which have contributed to the normalization of precarious work within the labor market. Drawing on ethnographic research conducted in Bangkok among long-term residents and newly arrived domestic migrants, this article explores how weakening macroeconomic trends map onto diverse individuals’ livelihood interpretations, strategies, and practices and the ways in which indices such as class, education, or occupation influence people’s perceptions of reduced social safety nets and state protectionism. While previous studies have addressed insecurities within weakening markets, research in the Thai context has not traditionally considered how uneven development, the precarious nature of work, and limited social protectionism cut across diverse people working in both formal and informal sectors.