Oecd Economic Surveys Thailand 2023

Thailand has achieved remarkable economic progress over the past decades. A strong and timely policy response helped to cushion the economic and social impact of the pandemic, and of high energy and food prices.

Thailand has made impressive economic and social progress over several decades. However, the COVID-19 crisis has interrupted this progress. Thanks to its sound macroeconomic policy framework, Thailand was well placed to respond rapidly to the sharp economic downturn. Nevertheless, achieving high-income country status will require, in addition to a strong recovery programme, a set of policy reforms focused on productivity growth and human capital accumulation. Thailand has made remarkable progress in expanding access to education, and the share of highly educated workers has increased significantly. Nevertheless, because of skills mismatches, substantial labour shortages have prevailed in a range of occupations and industries, which makes it important to improve vocational education and adult training programmes. As the demand for services has become important globally, Thailand has an opportunity to boost its exports of services, diversify its economic activity, and therefore become more resilient in the face of unexpected shocks. This would involve a focus on digital services and business-to-business services, which represent a large share of the value of manufacturing products. Focus on human capital, skills, digital technology, and high-value services would help Thailand resume strong economic growth and social progress after the COVID-19 crisis. SPECIAL FEATURES: HUMAN CAPITAL; TRADE IN SERVICES

Viet Nam has made remarkable economic progress over the past decades, sustaining high economic growth. The economy has also proven resilient to shocks, including the COVID-19 pandemic.

Greece’s economy had been expanding by nearly 2% for over three years before the COVID-19 shock. Structural reforms, high primary budget surpluses and debt measures underpinned Greece’s recovery and rising confidence. Then the COVID-19 pandemic struck, abruptly interrupting the recovery and adding new challenges to raising inclusiveness, competitiveness and growth.

Estonia’s economy continues to perform well, and growing incomes support well-being. However, the expansion has peaked, and growth is set to soften due to weak international demand. Prudent fiscal policy has resulted in low debt, but spending pressures related to meeting infrastructure needs and ageing are mounting. Old age poverty is high and the proposal to allow early withdrawal of pension funds threatens macroeconomic stability and pension adequacy. The gender wage gap is among the highest in the OECD, and inequalities in income and health are considerable, reflecting gaps in the social safety net. The oil-shale sector is highly energy-intensive and is the main culprit behind Estonia’s high greenhouse gas emissions, but reducing dependence on the sector is challenging, as it is an important employer and meets 70% of Estonia’s energy needs.

The French economy rebounded quickly following the COVID-19 crisis, in particular thanks to the acceleration of the vaccination campaign and strong public support measures. Rapid and effective implementation of the recovery and investment plans would help support stronger and more sustainable growth.

Canada’s vaccine rollout is bringing the prospect of an end to the COVID-19 crisis and a pick-up in output growth is expected. An ultra-low policy rate and other monetary measures continue to provide substantial support for the economy and fiscal support for households and businesses has been substantial.

The Swiss economy has shown resilience but the COVID-19 pandemic continues to raise uncertainty and challenges. Effective government support has helped protect employment and buttress household incomes. Nevertheless, some sectors and groups have been hit hard, with a disproportionate impact on low-middle skilled and low-wage workers. Fostering productivity growth is crucial to maintain high living standards in the future. Switzerland is one of the top OECD performers in terms of labour productivity, but productivity growth has slowed markedly over the past three decades. Lower barriers to free and open competition within the internal market and continued openness to international markets would spur competitive pressures and raise productivity and growth. In addition, effective and sustainable use of resources can sustain stronger and more inclusive growth. Raising labour market inclusiveness, by keeping higher numbers of older workers in employment as well as reducing the gender pay gap, would help the recovery and improve living standards of all. SPECIAL FEATURE: FOSTERING A STRONG LABOUR MARKET TO SUPPORT THE RECOVERY AND SUSTAIN GROWTH