The labor law of Thailand states that where a date of termination is provided in the employment contract, the employer need not give advance notice of dismissal. Where no period of time is specified in the contract of employment, the employer or the employee may terminate the employment contract by providing advance notice in writing to the other party on or before the due date of wage payment for the termination to take effect on the following due date of wage payment. For example, for employees paid on the 5th of each month, notice on or before April 5th is required for termination to be effective on May 5. The advance notice need not be longer than 3 months. In addition, a probationary employment contract is deemed to be an indefinite contract of employment for notice purposes.
An employer is permitted to pay the wages due to the employee during the notice period and immediately dismiss the employee.
Foreign nationals require a work permit issued by the Director-General of Labor to work in Thailand. An employer who wants to hire a foreign national as an employee has to apply for the permit to hire a foreign national and pay the associated fees. The employee is responsible for applying for the visa and work permit.
Foreign nationals entering Thailand to work must have already obtained a non-immigrant visa to apply for a work permit. The permit is then normally issued within 7 business days from the receipt of the application. The work permit should specify the work location, work period, nature of the work, and the employer's details. The permit is granted for up to 2 years or the job's duration in the case of temporary work. The permit can be renewed for a period of 2 years; however, the consecutive period of work cannot exceed 4 years for certain types of visa holders.
An employee is required to keep the permit at the place of work. If it is lost or damaged, a new permit can be issued by applying within 15 days of the loss.
Thailand's labor law provides that an employee is entitled to annual leave of at least 6 days after working for an uninterrupted period of 1 year with the same employer. Employees are paid at their normal wage rate for the duration of annual leave. The employer must fix the days of leave in advance for the employee or conclude an agreement with the employee regarding the days of leave. The employer and the employee may agree in advance to accumulate any annual leave that has not yet been taken in a year and postpone it to following years.
The employer can choose to provide annual leave on a pro-rata basis for employees who have not completed 1 year of service.
If employees' contract is terminated by the employer before, they must be paid for the unused annual leave for the year.
Thailand's labor law states that a normal working day lasts 8 hours and cannot exceed 9 hours. The total normal working hours per week cannot exceed 42 hours. In instances where the employer and employee have arranged overtime work, the additional work cannot exceed 9 hours daily or 48 hours weekly. The employer must provide a weekly rest period of 1 day per week, and the time between each rest period cannot exceed 6 days.
In Thailand, employees are entitled to a rest period of 1 hour before reaching the fifth consecutive hour of work. For employees aged less than 18 years, employers are obliged to provide a break of at least 1 hour after continuously working for no more than 4 hours.
In Thailand, pregnant employees are entitled to maternity leave of no more than 98 days for each pregnancy. Any maternity leave taken includes holidays that occur during the period of leave. Employers are obligated to pay normal wages to a female employee during the first 45 days of the maternity leave period. Effective December 7, 2025, maternity leave is increased to 120 days, and employers must pay full wages to a female employee during the first 60 days of the maternity leave period. An additional 15 days of leave is provided if the newborn has medical complications or disabilities.
An employer is prohibited from requiring a pregnant employee to work between 10:00 PM and 6:00 AM, to work overtime, or to work on holidays. If a pregnant employee works in an executive position, in academic work, in clerical work, or in work relating to finance or accounting, the employer may require the employee to work overtime provided that there is no effect on the employee's health and the employee gives prior consent on each occasion.
Thailand's minimum wage varies by province, ranging from THB (Thai Baht) 337 to 400 per day as of 2025, and it is mandatory for all employers, including foreign companies, to comply with these provincial rates. Wages must be paid at least once per month unless otherwise stipulated in favor of the employee.
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