Fewer Pinoys in Thailand work as musicians, more as health workers

BANGKOK – Fewer Filipinos are now working here as musicians or entertainers, and more are coming in as health workers, according to Philippine ambassador Antonio Rodriguez.

“Filipino musicians have always been and still continue to be a come-on, especially in the different hotel lounges and music bars here. But there has recently been fewer of them who come here to perform,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez did not cite figures but he attributed the decline to less attractive remuneration and to cost-cutting measures by many entertainment establishments, which now prefer lower-paid local talents.

“The rates offered for performers here now have become lower so that it is no longer cost-effective for our Filipino musicians who still have to pay for their subsistence while in Thailand,” Rodriguez said.

But the ambassador said Filipinos are becoming more ubiquitous at Bangkok hospitals and other medical institutions.

“We have noticed that in almost every hospital here in Bangkok, we already have Filipino health workers,” he said.

Rodriguez said there are around 7,000 documented Filipinos in Thailand, many of whom are in teaching jobs.

“Our Filipino teachers have been hired to teach mostly English,” Rodriguez told The STAR.

But Rodriguez said the terms of compensation for Filipino teachers in Thailand leave much to be desired.

“The salaries of these teachers are on a negotiation basis. It is not something that is clearly stipulated on a standard rate. So, what they have here is, when they hire teachers, the salary would be based on how much would come out in the negotiation between the employer and the employee,” Rodriguez said.

He explained that Thai employers prefer younger Filipino teachers who have weaker bargaining power, unlike their more experienced counterparts who command higher salaries.