Funded by IPA's Displaced Livelihoods Initiative and in partnership with UNHCR and the World Bank, researchers are conducting a survey of refugee households ahead of receiving the right to work in Thailand that will provide insight into labor market preferences and constraints.

In July 2025, the Royal Thai Government announced an expansion of the right to work for over 80,000 refugees,¹ allowing them access to formal employment outside of camps for the first time. This change comes as Thailand faces significant labor shortages, shaped by an aging population and a recent decline in migrant workers. Interventions that enhance refugee labor market integration could therefore yield dual benefits: increasing self-sufficiency for refugees while alleviating labor constraints for firms.

Funded by the Displaced Livelihoods Initiative and in partnership with UNHCR and the World Bank, this infrastructure and public goods project seeks to survey households ahead of receiving the right to work. In doing so, they will build a dataset that will shed light on labor market preferences and constraints, including willingness to work in major sectors, preferences for wage versus self-employment, expected wages, and perceived risks and barriers to migration. The findings of this project will inform the development of future randomized evaluations, with implications for labor market integration programs both within and beyond the Thailand context.

Results will be available in 2027.

Sources

^1. UNHCR. "Thailand." Accessed March 2026. https://www.unhcr.org/us/where-we-work/countries/thailand

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