Salaries of Japanese working in Thai companies. It is a recurring topic among residents of Thailand, but I think it is often talked about cheaply as a whole.
I have the impression that too much focus is placed on the “50,000 baht (175,000 yen)” salary, especially for Japanese, so I would like to provide my own information.
The information resource is the salary situation of the company I worked for in Japan, which had a call center in Bangkok.
The data also includes dozens of interviews with local job-seekers as a manager of a company I worked for in Bangkok.
Is the salary of a Japanese working as a local hire really 50,000 baht?
The answer is No. 50,000 baht is the minimum salary set by Thai law for Japanese workers.
To be correct, “the same amount of tax must be paid as if a 50,000 baht salary was paid” for Japanese employment.
Therefore, most companies set the minimum salary at 50,000 baht, although they are not actually required to pay 50,000 baht.
In addition, companies are required to employ four Thai nationals for every one foreigner hired.
However, there are exceptions. Companies that have received BOI investment incentives from the Thai government (e.g., call centers) are exempt from this rule (companies treated as special exceptions).
This makes it possible for a call center to employ a large number of Japanese people at a salary of 30,000 baht.
Japanese Salaries
As mentioned above, the 50,000 baht salary is the minimum salary for companies that are not BOI-accredited, but many companies that publish job openings offer salaries in the “50,000 baht~” or “50,000-70,000 baht” range, which I think reinforces the image that “Japanese salary = around 50,000 baht”.
However, there are actually quite a few people working for higher salaries.
The salary ranges for open positions online, in freebies, etc. are low, but the offers from staffing agencies are much higher. Combined with salary increases from there, the salary ranges often seen on the Internet are only the minimum.
Of course this will vary depending on work history, age, and type of job, so it’s hard to generalize, but here’s the salary data I’ve seen. Years of service is from 1 to 5 years.
■A person who was a regular company employee in Japan
■Previous salaries of those interviewed
No relevant work experience English possible 55,000 Baht
3 years of related work experience, fluent in English 85,000 Baht
2 years of related work experience, English possible 70,000 Baht
5 years of related work experience, English possible 75,000 Baht
7 years of related experience, fluent in English 75,000 Baht
7 years of related work experience, English possible 72,000 Baht
The number of people I actually interviewed was several times larger, and I have seen quite a few more when combined with the current salary data from the documented applications, but the people I interviewed had similar salary ranges.
The average length of service was 2 years, so I believe this amount is this amount after one pay raise. Probably the average salary at the time of joining the company was around 70,000 baht.
Those who were not interviewed had less work history and ability, but still averaged about 60,000 baht.
There are quite a few salary differences outside of work history and age, but this is because, as in Japan, companies with higher salaries and larger companies often have higher salaries.
The exceptionally high salary was 120,000 baht for a person who was locally hired at the Thai branch of a Nikkei company and had been with the company for more than 10 years. A new graduate who was doing general chores for the company’s start-up was 100,000 baht.
call center
I have not interviewed with the company I worked for in Thailand because the type of work is different, but the company I worked for in Japan has a Bangkok call center position that pays 200 baht per hour. The monthly salary is about 32,000 baht.
The monthly salary was from 50,000 baht for SV (supervisor).
I was in the web department of company T. Someone who knew about my love of Thailand approached me and asked about a raise, and I was told that I would not be getting a big pay increase.
There is rather a lot of information about call centers, but as far as I can tell, other companies pay the same.
Incidentally, in the staff survey at Company T’s call center, the general operators said that their salaries alone were not enough and that they were cutting into their savings. (Of course, it depends on the person, so one can live on 30,000 baht.)
*There are call centers with just exceptionally high salaries (55,000 baht for an operator).
That company is not actually a call center, but an e-commerce site order taking staff, and as far as I know, no other company pays as much.
Features of Thai Local Hiring Salaries
- Publicly available jobs have lower offered salaries (and often lower actual salaries as well).
- Low maximum entry-level salary (80,000 baht is upper limit) even if you have the right work history, ability, and age.
- However, those who have had excellent factory line management and excellent sales performance exceed (2).
- Jobs with strong specialization and high salaries in Japan, such as system engineers, may also exceed (2).
- Salaries have a narrower range than in Japan (with the exception of (3) and (4), there is little difference based on merit)
- Salaries are higher in foreign-owned companies (Europe and the U.S.) (with a large difference based on ability)
Level of living relative to salary
Now that you have a rough estimate of the salary you will receive, I would like to write down an image of your life in relation to your salary.
wpml_linebreakYou need to limit where you spend your money. You can live on cheap Japanese food every day, but if you drink alcohol, it will be tough.
The starting salary at a Thai company is roughly 20,000 baht, so there is no problem to eat Thai food, wear Thai clothes, and go to Thai bars.
However, since there will be socializing with other Japanese people and returning to Japan, I think it will be necessary to cut back quite a bit.
,you are not afraid of Thai food, you can afford it quite well. You will be able to live well on Japanese food, nightlife, and occasional trips abroad.
Japanese quality products and frequent izakaya use can be quite demanding.
I think you will be able to save easily in this range. If you don’t think about saving money, I think you will have much more freedom in shopping and nightlife.
Of course, taxes (income tax and social insurance) are deducted in Thailand as well, so the take-home pay will be roughly minus 10%.
If you think of the amount paid in the same way as in Japan, the employee’s pension will be deducted from the amount. If you want to leave that amount as savings, it will be difficult with a salary of 50,000 Baht.
For more information on the cost of living in Thailand, please refer to our other article, which will give you an idea of what life is like there.
Lastly.
If you are not enjoying your life in Japan and coming to Thailand is your first priority, I think you should come to Thailand, whether it is a call center or anything else. I don’t think that something like “Thailand is a cheap and comfortable life” is waiting for you, but I think it is easy mentally.
However, there is a financial hierarchy no matter where you go, so I would not recommend it to those who are concerned about that. I don’t think that people will change if you go to Thailand, so it is up to you to step up from there.
It would like to work abroad for a while. But if you want to keep your standard of living, make sure it is a company that gives you 50,000 baht. If you want to have a good time, you should not think about saving money.
For those who are also considering permanent residence in Thailand, I think 70,000 baht should be one boundary for now. The first year’s salary tends to be beaten, so you can feel like achieving it in the second year.
Also, as a personal reflection, I think it is a good option to come without deciding on a company and attend a language school for 6 months.
Learning a language while working is a heavy burden. There is some risk, but if you have a work history and do not have to choose a job, there is a good chance that you will get some kind of job while attending school.
