Official data showed on Wednesday that Thailand's employment decreased slightly in the final quarter of 2024, primarily due to an ongoing decline in the agricultural sector jobs.

The Southeast Asian country's labor force dropped 0.4 percent year-on-year to 40.1 million individuals in the October-December period as employment in the agricultural sector contracted 3.6 percent, according to the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC).

Meanwhile, employment in non-farm sectors grew 1.1 percent, driven by a surge in the hotel and restaurant sector, coupled with continued expansion in the transportation and storage sector which benefited from export recovery, the NESDC said in a statement.

The kingdom's unemployment rate stood at 0.88 percent in the fourth quarter, up from 0.81 percent recorded in the same period of 2023, and represented 360,000 unemployed individuals, the state economic planning agency said.

The imposition of tariff and non-tariff trade barriers, which could impact Thailand's exports and employment, is a key issue to monitor going forward, said NESDC Secretary-General Danucha Pichayanan.

Strengthened inspection and regulation of foreign workers to prevent illegal employment also remains a priority as numerous labor law violations by both businesses and foreign workers persist, Danucha told a news conference.