My family runs a consulting business in Thailand that sends foreign workers abroad for employment, and I have been following Syria for years, ever since the Assad regime was in power and throughout the civil war, up until its end and the establishment of a democratic government. And I've also met Syrian workers in Europe (Especially in Germany, where they usually take construction, welding, and other skilled labor jobs. However, I have a feeling that the Syrians I met in Europe were not officially sent by the government but were instead Syrian refugees seeking employment in Europe. This is during the Assad era btw)
I know for a fact that most of Syria's urban areas, which are generally considered safer, are located in the western part of the country. In contrast, the eastern part is generally considered more dangerous and is largely inhabited by ethnic Kurds, particularly in regions such as Rojava. I also know that western Syria, including the nation's capital, Damascus, suffered extensive destruction during the civil war. This could create opportunities for foreign workers to contribute to reconstruction, although the feasibility of such an initiative would depend on the state of employment in the country.
One thing I am uncertain about is Syria's current employment situation. From what I know, al-Sharaa plans to create more jobs for Syrian citizens, internally displaced people, and returning refugees. However, I am not sure whether there are labor shortages in sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, and construction, although manufacturing could potentially offer interesting opportunities.
Considering Syria's current situation, I have an idea for the future: to identify Syrian businesses that are actively seeking foreign workers and establish agreements with them to recruit and send Thai workers to fill positions in specific sectors of the Syrian economy.
This would be similar to the existing employment arrangements for Thai workers in neighboring Israel and Jordan, as well as in Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar. Thai workers are everywhere in the Middle East btw, particularly in the Gulf countries. For example, in Israel, many Thai workers are employed in agriculture, including fruit picking and farming on kibbutzim and moshavim. In the Gulf states, Thai workers are commonly employed in sectors such as construction and caregiving. There may also be opportunities in port-related jobs. I vaguely remember seeing an email from a Qatari company about ten years ago asking to recruit Thai workers for employment there.
I am particularly interested in Syria, but I am uncertain whether the country will have sufficient demand for foreign workers, given the current state of its labor market. However, I believe there could be potential opportunities in the technology sector, especially if Syria's domestic tech industry is not yet sufficiently developed to meet its future needs.
If I eventually pursue a project to recruit and send Thai workers to Syria, I would like the employment contracts to differ from those commonly used in neighboring Israel, Jordan, and the Gulf countries. Instead, I would prefer to establish temporary contracts lasting one to two years, similar to the arrangements under which South Korean workers were sent to the Middle East during the 1970s and 1980s. Following the oil crisis of the 1970s, rising oil revenues helped fuel a construction boom in the Gulf states, creating substantial demand for foreign labor. I see this historical model of temporary overseas employment as a potential reference for developing a future Thai labor program for Syria.
Such a program could also benefit Thailand's economy. In my view, many existing overseas employment arrangements do not sufficiently maximize the economic benefits for Thailand itself. Meanwhile, many Thai workers are interested in working in countries such as South Korea, and some even choose to work there illegally. A structured system of temporary 1-2 year contracts could provide a legal alternative while generating hard cash earnings for Thailand through workers' remittances. This approach could draw inspiration from South Korea's earlier experience, when overseas employment contributed to the country's economic development before its major economic boom.
