A Qualitative Construction of Sufficiency Living Wage in Thailand Based on the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy

Abstract

In our world where economic disparities are slowing down progress, the call for adopting living wage policies for workers seems to be essential for sustainable human development. This research endeavored to identify the meaning of a “living wage” in concurrence with the sufficiency economy philosophy (SEP), by developing a new concept of “sufficiency living wage” (SLW) in the context of Thailand. A qualitative approach was adopted to examine how minimum wage earners interpret SEP and merge it with their perceptions of living wage. Twelve employees, working at a riverside resort in Thailand, were invited to join the research, as they represented workers who had absorbed the concept of SEP at their work. Interviews were used for data collection. From the thematic analysis of the interviews, two main themes emerged to derive meaning of the SLW from the workers’ experiences. The first theme about the “sufficiency of wages” emerged from the understanding of participants about the 3 tenets of the SEP—moderation, reasonableness, and self-immunity, when applied to a living wage. The second theme was the “psychological utility of wages,” which was valued in terms of tangible and intangible components of perceived utility of the SLW. These findings could be of significance to not only the workers but also to employers, as the emerging concept of SLW could support providing affordable and sustainable living wage. From an applied perspective, it might be beneficial to develop the construct of SLW quantitatively and examine its impact on work and life outcomes.

Abstract

Impact and Implications

The emerging concept of “sufficiency living wage” (SLW) provides a unique perspective about the culturally valuable sufficiency economy philosophy in the Thai context. The researchers anticipate that a quantitative scale to measure SLW could predict the well-being of minimum wage earners and their families, and hence could be promoted as a beneficial and sustainable mechanism in Thai organizations. It is anticipated that if organizations could adopt SLW, it could contribute toward the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for the 2016–2030, specifically to the goals—SDG 1 (reducing poverty), SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth), and SDG 10 (reducing inequalities) through sustainable consumption (SDG 12).