FET holds first board meeting: eight departments, five policy pillars and a Myanmar MOU ahead

On 9 September 2026 the Federation of Associations Employment Entrepreneurs of Thailand (FET) held its first board meeting (No. 1/2026) in Bangkok, the first since the Federation completed its legal registration. Representatives of all six member associations attended.

Key outcomes

• Registration completed. The board now has full legal authority to act. Going forward, each member association will hold three seats, for a board of 18, to ensure equal voting rights.
• Eight working departments were set up: advisory, academic and planning, legal, information technology, foreign affairs, public relations, revenue, and internal affairs.
• Five policy pillars were adopted: protecting employers, protecting workers throughout their employment, raising operator standards, coordinating with government agencies, and cooperating with countries of origin.
• Myanmar MOU. A delegation will travel to Yangon on 11–12 September to sign a memorandum of understanding with the MOEA association on agency screening, service-fee standards and a shared worker database.
• Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The Thai cabinet has approved a 10,000-worker pilot from Sri Lanka, pending detailed guidelines; business matching with Bangladesh is on hold pending National Security Council review.
• Legal proposals. The legal department will draft amendments to the Emergency Decree on the Management of Foreign Workers' Employment, covering licensed operators' rights to handle in-country paperwork, FET representation on the national policy committee, and anti-nominee safeguards.
• Working group. A Planning and Academic Working Group was established to turn the policy framework into concrete proposals for government.