The research on Overseas Employment Recruitment Systems in Thailand and Labourers Complaints aims to study the overseas employment recruitment system, an impact from the recruitment systems by the recruiting companies and cases of labourers complaints. The study was based on the qualitative methodology. The overseas employment recruitment systems include 5 methods : self-traveling ; employers escorting their employees to work overseas ; employers sending their employees for on-the-job training ; recruitment department sending them to work overseas and traveling abroad to work as arranged by the recruiting companies. The recruiting companies in Thailand for overseas employment operate in the deregulation system, or in other words the openly competitive market, under the management of government agency according to the Recruitment and Job Seekers Protection Act B.E. 2528. There are 257 authorised overseas employment recruiting companies in Thailand. From the case study of one overseas employment recruiting company, it was found that the system comprised of 5 parties i.e. foreign employers, brokers, recruiting companies, agents and labourers. The overseas employment recruitment systems have the problems that foreign employers and broker co-operated to set the position price and freed the bidding competitively. This caused the position fee to be as high as about Baht 25,000-135,000 per position; job placement not in accordance with the contract; job applications submitted prior to permission; buying the job position and labours from the other recruiting companies; avoiding government recruitment regulations and Job Seeker Protection Act by opening many branches; charging the commission fee higher than the rate stated by the Act, charging the commission fee more than 30 days in advance; unable to arrange travel after having received payment; recruiting companies continuing their business while under probation or termination order; agents overcharging from job-seekers. Besides, the labourers are also a part of problems such as not checking the information about the recruiting companies; co-operating with the unauthorised recruiting companies; accepting risk proposed by the recruiting companies and not reporting to the government units upon arrival at destination. When problems arise prior to traveling most labourers initially help themselves by trying to negotiate with agents and recruiting companies. If problems arise after travelling the labourers try to negotiate with agents, interpreter and employers. If problems were not successful, they file their complaints with Office of labour Affairs, Royal Thai Embassy, Thai Consulate in those countries. However, if the problems remain unsolved, they would file their complaints with the Complaints Admission Unit and appealed their complaints. The Foreign Labour Protection Division received 15,324 complaints during B.E. 2539-2541. The damage caused by these illegal and cheating practices valued Baht 463 millions. The Recruiting Committee was able to resolve 6,985 complaints or 45.58% of the cases filed and compensation to labourers from recruiting companies Baht 202 millions or 43.60% of the total damage.
