Comments on: Inflation, CPI : bravo, they broke the thermometer http://thaicrisis.wordpress.com/2009/02/02/inflation-bravo-they-broke-the-thermometer/ Politics, Economy, Insurgency : Crisis Times in Thailand Sun, 20 Dec 2009 19:23:24 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Yeti http://thaicrisis.wordpress.com/2009/02/02/inflation-bravo-they-broke-the-thermometer/#comment-6720 Yeti Tue, 03 Feb 2009 11:27:30 +0000 http://thaicrisis.wordpress.com/?p=4601#comment-6720 Universities here love to poll people, maybe they could do Labour Force Sample Surveys, after all this is supposed to be the method of choice to measure unemployment. But who wants to know anyway... Universities here love to poll people, maybe they could do Labour Force Sample Surveys, after all this is supposed to be the method of choice to measure unemployment.
But who wants to know anyway…

]]> By: ThaiCrisis http://thaicrisis.wordpress.com/2009/02/02/inflation-bravo-they-broke-the-thermometer/#comment-6716 ThaiCrisis Mon, 02 Feb 2009 19:06:18 +0000 http://thaicrisis.wordpress.com/?p=4601#comment-6716 Well... yes of course. But it's not a vicious one. Just the sign that... it's impossible to "grab" the reality of the "labor force" in Thailand, and impossible to put proper figures on it. Of course, on one side, you have the employees in companies, linked to Social Security, Revenue Department etc. For this group, it's easy... Western gauge applies. But this group is... small compared to the people up country, working... in the fields... part time, half time, quarter time... whenever they want, "helping" neighbours, their family... or people who have small activities or businesses "on the side" (not declared) : soup carts, etc. I mean, how do you want to put those people into statistics ? It's <em>impossible</em>. Therefore, all the stats linked to employment... have poor meaning. And it might even be an <em>understatement</em>. ;-) Well… yes of course. But it’s not a vicious one. Just the sign that… it’s impossible to “grab” the reality of the “labor force” in Thailand, and impossible to put proper figures on it.

Of course, on one side, you have the employees in companies, linked to Social Security, Revenue Department etc.
For this group, it’s easy… Western gauge applies.

But this group is… small compared to the people up country, working… in the fields… part time, half time, quarter time… whenever they want, “helping” neighbours, their family… or people who have small activities or businesses “on the side” (not declared) : soup carts, etc.

I mean, how do you want to put those people into statistics ? It’s impossible.

Therefore, all the stats linked to employment… have poor meaning. And it might even be an understatement. ;-)

]]> By: Yeti http://thaicrisis.wordpress.com/2009/02/02/inflation-bravo-they-broke-the-thermometer/#comment-6714 Yeti Mon, 02 Feb 2009 16:26:57 +0000 http://thaicrisis.wordpress.com/?p=4601#comment-6714 From the same TNA press release: "On unemployment problem, Mr. Siripol said unemployment in Thailand now stood at 1.4 per cent or about 500,000 people." Is that a joke? From the same TNA press release:
“On unemployment problem, Mr. Siripol said unemployment in Thailand now stood at 1.4 per cent or about 500,000 people.”

Is that a joke?

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