Career Development of Thai Migrant Workers : Case Study of Factory Workers’ Life History

タイジン　イミン　ロウドウシャ　ノ　キャリア　ハッタツ　コウジョウ　ロウドウシャ　ノ　ライフ　ヒストリー　キキトリ　ニ　ヨル　ジレイ　ケンキュウ

イマムラ, ミヤコ

Imamura, Miyako

タイ人労働者

パーラ

career development

Thai worker

phara

This study clarifies the career development process of Thai factory workers in Rayong province, Thailand through a life-history interview. The targets of this study are migrant workers from rural areas such as the Northeastern part of Thailand. Helping farming in a rural area in their childhood, they lived in rural area until they graduate high school or vocational school. Then, they move to an industrial area and start working in a factory. Their motivation for the migrant work is to earn cash income to sustain the rural life, which is called Phara in Thai language’s cultural concept. Phara literary means burden or duty in Thai; extended from the original meaning, it also means responsibility to support rural family, or loan payment to build an asset for their own rural life in future. The migrant workers establish their identity in a rural area by helping farming in their childhood; they recognize their Phara to support the rural life as they grow up. The Phara is not so big when they start working in a factory that young workers tend to change jobs to find appropriate working circumstances for the first few years. However, Phara increases gradually after several years, because they are going to have a child or buy houses and cars. Their motivation to change jobs will decrease because they are afraid that they cannot adjust to a new job or human relations so they cannot earn monthly income. They aim to retire early to go back to rural life and farm or own a small business.