Health Capacity to Work among Older People in Thailand

Thailand’s aging population has impacted its labor force. This study examines additional health capacity to work (AHCW) with established methods. Data were obtained from the mortality registry as well as national health, aging, labor force, and welfare surveys. Utilizing the Milligan–Wise method, the estimated AHCW for those aged 50–69 was 1.3 years (an 8.7% increase) for males and 1.9 years (17.8%) for females, based on the 2005 employment–mortality relationship. With the Cutler–Meara–Richards-Shubik method, the estimated AHCW for those aged 60–69 in 2015 ranged from 0.9 years (13.6%) to 2.0 years (31.3%) for males and from 1.2 years (23.2%) to 1.5 years (29.6%) for females. We also found that older informal workers in Thailand need to work to maintain their standards of living due to limited retirement benefits. Effective policy measures should be implemented to protect informal workers’ health, prevent pensioners from being impoverished, facilitate a more flexible working environment, and help workers maintain skills and job competencies.