YOUNG LABOR SHORT AGES IN THE FOOD AND AGRICULTURE SECTOR CASE STUDY: LIVESTOCK IN LUANG PRABANG, LAO PDR.

Abstract

The study aimed to investigate two key areas: 1) the scarcity of young workers in the agricultural sector in Luang Prabang and 2) the factors and impacts of this shortage in livestock on the province's food supply. The study is conducted in five districts of Luang Prabang: Luang Prabang City, Pak Ou District, Phon Xay District, Nam Bak District, and Phou Khoun District. The data is collected through a questionnaire and interviews. The following sample groups are utilized: the consumer group, the animal trader group, the butcher group, the slaughterhouse owner group, the pig farmers, the cattle farmers, the poultry farmers, and the goat herders. The quantitative data is analyzed using SPSS. The study on the shortage of young workers in the livestock sector in Luang Prabang, Lao PDR, revealed that the socio-economic situation in Laos is leading to a decrease in the number of young workers in this sector. This study, conducted from November 2023 to April 2024, investigates young labor shortages in Luang Prabang's agricultural sector. The high cost of living has forced domestic workers to relocate for new employment opportunities. Most of the primary workers, young people, migrate to work in big cities, special economic zones (the Golden Triangle), and minimum-wage jobs in Thailand, causing a lack of domestic workers. Most of the workers are unskilled workers, have low technical knowledge of animal husbandry, are raw workers, and many young workers are not interested in animal husbandry. In agriculture, labor is only 41.7%.