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Are Thai People Really Lazy?

“Well, you know Thais, they're f-word lazy, man”, said the expat on the adjacent table in the coffee shop.

This is a statement I've heard many times over the years.

It's an easy thing to say off the cuff, particularly if that has been your experience.

But that experience is usually very limited: limited to a lazy girlfriend you adopted into your home, a lazy laborer you employed cheaply to fix your roof, or a lazy mother-in-law who thinks you're not good enough for her daughter – despite the fact that you paid for her house.

In reality it's a sweeping generalization that isn't applicable to the millions of Thais who work hard every day, for what is often a pitiful wage.

But is there some truth to this generalization? I mean, there's no smoke without fire, right? Why do people keep saying it? Why has this label been stuck on the Thai people?

This perception of laziness is coming from somewhere, and it seems to be the experience of quite a large number of expats.

I'll share my experience and thoughts on this stereotype below, and then you can give me your take in the comments section.

lazy thai people

I snapped this security guard at BACC asleep on the job. Lazy or just bored senseless!

Are Thai People Lazy?

Since I came to Thailand, some 14 years ago, I have to say that the majority of Thais I have encountered are pretty hard-working.

From the maid to the market trader to the Som Tum seller to the lady serving coffee in Starbucks, most of the Thais I see on a daily basis are working a lot of hours.

Most are up at the crack of dawn, many working 6 or 7 days a week, particularly those with their own businesses.

The guys and gals in the local 7-Eleven seldom have a day off, taxi drivers sleep just a few hours in their taxis before hitting the road again, and go up country and you have OAPs toiling the fields for 8 hours a day.

So where are all the lazy people?

Some might say, “But that's out of necessity, not because they want to. Given the chance, they'd put their feet up and live off someone else's labour”.

But how many people around the world don't work out of necessity? And how many wouldn't take it easier if they could?

I will concede that most Thais have no choice but to work. There is no comparable social security system. If you don't work, you don't eat. Simple.

Is It a Class Issue?

Even in the middle classes I see little evidence of this stereotype.

For example, the experiences I've had with Thai colleagues at my friend's Bangkok-based company is comparable to that of staff in the UK. Most work very hard. Sre, some are keener than others, some work faster than others, and some are more organized than others.

This is no different to any other office around the world.

You have a very wealthy upper class in Thailand, and I'd argue that that's where you're more likely to find laziness.

The sons and daughters (some) of rich Bangkok businessmen tend to do little more than drive flash cars and do lunch with friends.

But again, that's the same all over the world, isn't it?

So who are we talking about being lazy here?

Bar girls that sit around of an evening, occasionally playing pool and waiting to be bought a drink and taken home? The privileged wives of pension-rich expats who don't need to work?

These groups don't represent all Thai people. This is a minority.

The “Sabai Sabai” Approach to Life

Perhaps Thais don't work as efficiently as Brits, Aussies, Americans or Europeans, and perhaps that gives a perception of laziness. A lack of efficiency, taking longer to do things, a seemingly reluctant attitude at times, this could be perceived as laziness.

But the latter, in most cases, is because they are doing a boring job for little money, with no real career prospects.

It's also horribly hot in Thailand; the humidity makes you feel sweaty and tired. If you're working outside, you're not going to be over the moon about the sun beating down on you all day.

Or is the case that Thais will cut corners if they can, knock off early if no one is looking, and take the easy way out if possible?

I can attest to this being the case in some people I know and in some dealings I've had in Thailand, but part of me feels this is cultural – the “sabai sabai” (comfortable) approach to life, mixed with a little “mai bpen rai” (never mind).

But then aren't we all aiming for this to some degree?

We'd all like to earn the most we can doing as little work as possible, unless we truly love our work and would do it despite the money.

Is It a Penchant for Laziness?

Or maybe the difference is in the what you'd do if you weren't working.

Is it the case that us expats spend our free time getting things done: tidying out the garage, washing the car, learning the guitar, playing golf, etc. Whereas the Thai would rather just sit down and watch a drama series and eat snacks.

I don't know where you're from, but in the UK, generally speaking, we are a nation of doers. We keep busy: “Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today”. Of course there are many who aren't like that, and in my opinion this culture is changing.

Look, I am a pretty productive person, I don't like idly sitting around wasting time. But that doesn't make other people lazy. It's my personality. Maybe I need to relax more…

The Problem with Generalizations

For every Thai person I could label as “lazy” there's three I know who are the complete opposite.

My grand-mother-in-law is 90 and still gets up at the crack of dawn to go into town to buy vegetables to sell at a local market. Even with Covid lurking there was no keeping her down. She could never be labelled as “lazy”.

My wife's sister works six days a week, as does her husband. When I met my wife she was working six days a week and waking up at 5.30am.

Then I think about the Thai wives of expats I know who moved to Europe. Surely these are lazy Thai women who, as soon as they got the chance, put their feet up and sponged off their husbands!

Well, no. There are three couples I know very well. All three wives work in their adopted country. Their husbands could support them, but they choose to work and earn their own money instead.

I do know the stereotype, though.

I know of one guy's partner who doesn't work yet insists on having a maid and a nanny, when clearly she could fill these roles. She prefers to adopt the hi-so life, immersed in fashion and selfies. But man, this isn't exclusive to Thailand, this is happening the world over.

And this is the problem with generalizations; it really depends on your experience, on your interactions, on your social circle.

Of course, every country has its lazy people – those who don't want to work or don't want to work very hard – and there are certainly some lazy Thai people.

The reality is, however, that most Thais don't have the privilege of being lazy. Period.

Do they have more of a penchant for laziness than us western expats? Maybe… You tell me.

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  1. AC says

    I’ve lived in Thailand for 15 years, speak Thai and have many Thai friends. I wouldn’t say lazy as much as prioritizing life over work. I saw a similar phenomena in the south of Italy. I’m not going to lie, it can be frustrating for a westerner trying to find exemplary service.
    Reply

  2. Philip Fletcher says

    Some Thai people are so hard working and conscientious they'll come round at 2 a.m. at night to empty the rubbish bins outside your condo block and make enough noise to wake the dead with them gunning their refuse cart's engine and banging empty bins about, ensuring that you don't get enough sleep. And if you dare to complain to City Hall about this anti social behavior you'll really cop it for the next week or so. And they come round 7 nights a week!!!
    Reply

  3. ChrisH says

    John says
    "Most of the Thai women working in the bar scene of Pattaya are incredibly lazy. Basically all they want to do is sit on their backsides all day and stuff their faces with food. They don't seem to realise or care that they get fatter and fatter and **become less and less attractive to the customers they're hoping to attract. I really wish they'd stop f***ing EATING!"**

    LOL, Here's a suggestion, find a different place to shop with better 'customer' service. Your obviously shopping in the wrong store if you don't like the 'staff'. And I think it fair to say a majority of the 'bar girls' would rather not have to work this way just to perhaps feed and house themselves (or family). The saying " walk a mile in my shoes" comes to mind.
    Reply

  4. ChrisH says

    Lily says
    "Or using people for money. Having someone else take care of them and doing nothing to contribute. Just greedy people is all ive met."

    Maybe you need to venture outside of your cave every now and then, have a look at the real world and meet more people.
    And of course, no sarcasm intended (lmao). Just a suggestion!
    Reply

  6. Philip Fletcher says

    A very interesting and informative article and comments here. It is horribly hot in Thailand but in England it's horribly cold most of the time. Because I live here as a retiree on a low income I don't have any room for fun activities but the hot weather means I haven't frozen to death in the UK and my body lying undiscovered in an empty house till the rent stops getting paid by the state and the letting agent comes looking for it.
    I don't think hard physical work does anyone any good over a long period, certainly not me. And once your health is ruined you've got the dilemma of taking care of yourself to deal with; heaven help anyone who has no income coming in and in Asia this is an ever increasing problem.
    Reply

  8. Mike Brien says

    Thais who work in government positions are not only lazy but corrupt with it .
    Thai civilians working in military establishments are also lazy .
    Most other Thais are hard working / work long hours for little rewards . Would you be full of energy and enthusiasm for your work if you where in this position .?
    Reply

  10. Tim says

    Good article THANK you.

    My wife works all the time when we stay in America. Where the wages are good. Worked for total six years there. I met her in Thailand at a fulltime 7 day week job clothing retail shop 14 years ago. She couldn't finish school, because she had to support her ailing father will cancer Her family all hard fulltime workers. Can't say all Thais are lazy here!
    I have seen it though! But not in this family.
    Reply

  11. Peter Dean says

    Thai people do not work in the same way as Westerners, so they may look lazy but they are just as good at getting things done quickly. They are also much more cooperative. I don’t think fat ladies in sex shops or wives who profit from marrying a well-off Farang are typical
    Reply

  13. Min says

    First of all, all these comments here are from either a morally depraved white man looking to bang hookers or from a foreigners way of degrading another culture for being lazy. I am Thai myself (belonging to the chinese minority), so i might as well give my own perspective on this.

    Ethnic Thai culture usually emphasize having fun instead of doing hard work. And if they do hard work, it's usually menial work so that they can go home and not think about anything else. Their outlook on life usually focuses on simple objects such as; having fun, being relaxed, eating and reproducing. While education might be limited to wealthier classes, it does not change the fact that Thai Chinese and Thai Indians are better off in the society. This is not to say that they are less capable, rather, their attitude towards hard work is usually filled with ideas of just being comfortable and but below an outstanding threshold.

    Men are encouraged to have no committment to anything, living lavishly as kings and women are raised to be housewives. Tell me, how does this mentality create efficiency and a hardworking society? Compared to it's East Asian cousins, ethnic South East Asians are definitely more prone to this lazy mentality. It could be due to the historical past of lying around in small communities, or it could be due to a lack of a strong cultural identity which encourages hard work (due to inherent diversity and influences from the west).
    At the end of the day, even the political situation seems to encourage the lazy behaviour, as there is corruption and minimal welfare - parents and families expect to be provided for by their children. This results in a society where the young would never be able to fully be independent and grow with their own careers as half of it has to go to their families.

    Nevertheless, the results are shown even here in Europe. The women marrying an overweight European would brag all day about doing less - receiving more. When it comes to their teens, I have yet to see an ambitious young thai person with good morals. Usually, they just repeat their old pattern despite having access to free education in Europe; having fun, being relaxed, eating and reproducing. This is definitely contrary to east asian or western mentality, and definitely not efficient. Lastly, thais might not be lazy. But this attitude is deeply ingrained in the culture.
    Reply

    • TheThailandLife says

      "At the end of the day, even the political situation seems to encourage the lazy behaviour, as there is corruption and minimal welfare - parents and families expect to be provided for by their children. This results in a society where the young would never be able to fully be independent and grow with their own careers as half of it has to go to their families."

      This is a really good point, that a child's progression and potential is limited by the need to provide for their family. They can never be fully independent of their parents.
      Reply

    • Andreas says

      great insight here. thank you for your reply.
      I wanted to continue that though that something is in grained in culture.
      change comes from people doing something differently right? It easy to say anything you do is only because your elders or society tells you to do it. but nothing is technically stopping thais from becoming "busy". the kids in Europe could study but dont. so lazy does apply. hence the stereotype. is it less valid because its culturally ingrained?
      your not less racist just because its culturally acceptable in nazi Germany or trump area USA. its easy to swim with the flow.
      I think expats like us do compare our "can do attitude" or "greed for money, wealth and status" against they may ben rai attitude of thais and think we come out on top. measured by outcome we do right, higher wages, more money. measured by how comfortable we are is a different metric. we work 70 hours instead of 30, is the extra money more important than the extra time spent "eating, relaxing and prodcreating" ? everybody has to decide that or themselves I feel. HOWEVER, and that is my experience as a supervisor and manager I get extremely frustrated with "lazy" workers (whatever race) when they are hired into a western style business and are expected to perform/output in that manners and just fail. Ive been called racist or pushy when I tried to motivate/push/complain of missed deadlines and low output.
      so while I dont think all south East Asians & Indians are lazy I think that too many are due to the cultural differences that dont work when put into a western situation. thats then on the western company for not understanding but also on the sea people for resenting the Westerners that only pay them cents on the dollar for exactly that lack of efficiency and output.
      if you pay for. Ferrari you expect it to go vroom. not slough along at 30km/h.

      the problem is expectation mismatch on both sides.
      Reply

    • David says

      My Thai partner started her own business and prospered. Her sister and her sister’s husband were both killed in a car accident, leaving a one year old son. My partner cared for the child until she had her own child, and another sister took over. She worked hard, never married and used every baht to send him to the best school she could afford and then onto a good university where he completed his business degree. She then paid with help from my partner to have him further his English at a university in Sydney Australia. They lived in a tiny single room apartment, in Bangkok throughout his education, a sacrifice she made to afford the education. The boy who is now 24 was never offered any help from the very wealthy Chinese Thai parents of his father. They made no contribution whatsoever. And he never asked for a baht as they made almost no contact with him.
      My partners brother chose to stay in the country near Phitsanulok as his country born wife didn’t want to be away from her mother. He became a farmer (although the family comes from Bangkok) and spends long hours working his mixed vegetable farm. He can only afford a motorbike because he is paying to put his daughter through a medicine degree in a Bangkok university. His son is studying electrical engineering. The extended family (except the Chinese ones) help him with the expense, but he is very proud and accepts very little help, despite now being nearly 60 and having a few health problems. His daughter finishes her degree next year. We give her money to afford a few small things so that she doesn’t get so much bullying from the mostly very wealthy other students at the university. She gets teased for being a farmers daughter and not having designer handbags etc. My partners family are very devout Buddhists as her grandfather was a senior monk for many years before marrying at an older age. They take the teachings of Buddha very much to heart. Fortunately for Fon she is steeped in Buddhist thought and knows the values that cause the bullying are shallow and ignorant and come from the spiritually poor. She knows from her Buddhism and her father’s huge sacrifice for her, that she is not poorer than the bullies at all. Quite the opposite. She is a very strong young Thai woman as were her mother and aunties.
      Reply

  14. John says

    Most of the Thai women working in the bar scene of Pattaya are incredibly lazy. Basically all they want to do is sit on their backsides all day and stuff their faces with food. They don't seem to realise or care that they get fatter and fatter and become less and less attractive to the customers they're hoping to attract. I really wish they'd stop f***ing EATING!
    Reply

    • TheThailandLife says

      Well that's kind of the job description, isn't it?: Wait around for punters to entertain and then sleep with for cash. In between, you sit around and talk and eat. And to be fair, sleeping with men that you find repulsive day in day out is enough to make anyone turn to comfort eating.
      Reply

      • John says

        Why don't they keep themselves fit instead of sitting on their backsides getting fat? The fatter they get the more they will get repulsive customers. Recently in soi 6 Pattaya the women have had to welcome inside Indians and Pakistanis, cos they're now desperate. If they kept themselves slim they'd get better looking customers. No good looking man wants to pay for a fat ugly lazy greedy hooker.
        Reply

        • TheThailandLife says

          I doubt these uneducated women with limited funds are suddenly going to join the gym and start conscious eating. These are village women with limited knowledge of city life and indeed life itself. They come to the city, live in a shared room, go to the bar, do their duty and go back to their rooms. They exist in the margins of society. They work and send money home to their children and parents, and that's it.Their social life consists of eating and talking with other women from the bar and pretending the punters are "handsome man".Occasionally you get a woman who bucks the trend. I knew a woman from the gym who was very attractive, fit, healthy and took really good care of herself. She didn't drink, smoke, etc. She was a working girl who worked on a rotation basis. Men would come for a holiday in turns to "be with her". She ran the business like clock work. She did hang out in a bar on occasion but was fairly exclusive and picked her clients, as I understand it. Fair play.My general view is that for various reasons fewer women go into this line of work now, and the reason men are complaining of the "quality" is because it is mainly the older, less attractive women still left in the game. If I think back 12 years at the attractive women I used to see outside bars compared with when I walk past now it is quite a difference. I think it's a good thing. Let it burn. I hope education and opportunity improves and that such women will find a better pathway in life, because for most it doesn't end well or simply becomes a bearable existence.As for the clientele, needs must. If the Indians have the cash the women have got the time. The Baht is expensive for Brits, especially, so fewer holiday-makers.If you want a more attractive prostitute you will most likely have to pay for it. That's part of the game. I guess that's the reason the Eastern European women charge more.
          Reply

          • John says

            I agree with what you say, I've lived in Pattaya for 7 years and am no longer interested in the women working in the sex trade because they're now mostly fat, greedy, lazy, ugly and ignorant. First rule of working as a prostitute is to make yourself sexually attractive and appealing, not to sit on your backside all day stuffing your face with food. Only really ugly desperate men will now pay these women for sex.
            Reply

            • TheThailandLife says

              What about the African prostitutes working in Thailand? I'd say they're probably fitter and make more of an effort with their appearance. You might have to pay a bit more but would you be able to keep up?
              Reply

        • ChrisH says

          @ John
          Whoa....."no good looking man". Me thinks you have tickets on yourself.
          "the women have had to welcome inside 'Indians and Pakistanis', cos they're now desperate".
          That sounds very racist.
          These girls are there to make money and I doubt if a persons race/country of origin has any effect on that side of things.
          And......There may be many "fat ugly lazy greedy hookers" (as there are all over the world in that profession) but, there are far far more slim(ish), good looking hookers.
          And why would you be worried about the "fat ugly lazy greedy hookers" anyway. It's not as though you are forced to have anything to do with them if you choose not to.
          Come on man, show a little compassion. I'd say 80-85 % of these "hookers" would rather not be doing what they do, but hey, we all gotta eat = $'s
          Reply

      • Paul says

        From talking with Thai women, I don't think that they find older, overweight white men repulsive, The Thai culture looks up to older people as being wiser, also everyone knows that they relate the color of your skin to working in the fields, White is what they strive for, That's why every store that you go to you will find skin bleach and white makeup, Last point, overweight, In Thailand, If you are overweight then you must have money to buy plenty of food and Thai people respect that and want that for themselves.
        I would have to agree that if you are working in a situation where you need to look attractive to keep your good paying job, Than eating all the time and not exercising is the best way to get fired.
        Every Thai woman I know loves to eat, And exercise is not a concern to them ever.
        Reply

    • AC says

      Sexpat thinks bargirls in Pattaya is Thailand? John it's pathetic. If you want to understand if Thailand is lazy, how about you go out into Thailand? That means getting out of the tourist bars, getting off the 7/11 steps. Right now you are in Barland not Thailand. And besides, who are you to critic the poor girls you are exploiting as lazy? What are you?
      Reply

  15. Rene says

    That they work long days and hours doesn't take away that most of them are lazy. In fact; the reason they work such long days is because they are incredible slow and need 2-3 people for the job of 1 person in most western countries.

    Once work is done you can't see them do anything as well, even if it comes to house keeping only what is visible on the eye is being cleaned properly, and takes forever. I think many expats can testify on this, even most Thai friends admit it.

    The exceptions are a minority of X million Thais.

    Perhaps if you referring to farmers, yes they work hard, but that is only in the seasons. The rest of the year nothing is been done as well.
    Reply

    • TheThailandLife says

      That they work long days and hours doesn’t take away that most of them are lazy. In fact; the reason they work such long days is because they are incredible slow and need 2-3 people for the job of 1 person in most western countries.Really? All Thais?I have a friend who owns a company in Bangkok with around 50 employees. I often work out of this office and know the operation very well. I know many of the staff personally. They work with high profile clients (the biggest brands in Thailand and brands in America and the UK). They are often on tight deadlines to meet unrealistic expectations and do so by working long hours with very few breaks. Many of the staff are highly career motivated. Many of them have been though competitive educational environments. They are far from lazy.Farmers don't sit around for the rest of the year. Where are you getting this information from? The large majority of farmers go to Bangkok and become Taxi drivers for the rest of the year, working round the clock to make extra money.Every Thai I know who works, especially those self-employed, work nearly every single day of the year.Of course there are lazy people. Jesus, I'm from the UK. You want to see lazy? I'll drive you through some UK towns where people hang around drinking Cola, smoking, gambling and breeding kids all day. All on a tab picked up by the taxpayer.
      Reply

      • J.Shelly says

        I resent your comment about state handouts , what the rich who avoudbtax and the Royal Family of the UK a bunch of scroungers who have never done a day's work in their lives.We fight for better terms and conditions not because we are lazy but see the rich getting richer while our standard of living goes down. You are the one making lazy assumption s
        Reply

        • TheThailandLife says

          What do you resent about it? I stated a fact. I am not a royalist by a long shot but I'd hate to be them and would choose my life over theirs any day. I wouldn't say they've never done a day's work in their lives. Their lives are mapped out every day, full of repetitive engagements and following specific royal protocols. They can keep the money, I'd rather have my freedom. The Queen has worked every day of her life. That's a fact.Taxation is a broad issue in the UK and simply saying the rich avoid tax is a huge generalisation. The reality is that the majority of people in the UK never pay enough tax to cover what it costs in public services to keep them. The reality is that the rich keep the poor and the working classes.The Institute for Fiscal Studies shows that about 90% of income tax is paid by the 50% of taxpayers with the highest incomes, while more than a quarter is paid by the richest 1%.So how much more do you want the rich to pay? Do you penalise people for earning more money, or working harder, working smarter, educating themselves longer? If you tax people into oblivion then what's the incentive to take risks in business, to work longer hours, to study harder, to self-educate? Higher taxation leads to tax avoidance, and statistics show lower tax rates result in higher taxes being paid.Of course companies like Google and Amazon should pay their fair share in territories they operate in, but if you tax people into oblivion they will just leave, and who will pay the tax required to operate social welfare and public services?Is taxation even moral? Is it not theft? Your money (property) is taken from you without permission and redistributed to people and causes that you haven't agreed to.This is a huge topic of debate and can't be addressed with sweeping statements. It's also not about Thailand.
          Reply

  16. yetanother says

    I live with a Thai in the UK and she was not lazy, but now she has her visa she is very lazy. I work my nuts off to keep her and her boy whilst my house gets more dirty. How I see it is they live in shit, so this is better.Lazy b**** and I see divorce coming.
    Reply

    • TheThailandLife says

      Can't you sit down and have a chat with her about pulling her weight? Let her know that if she isn't working then she has to take responsibility for the home and her child, properly. Create a list of responsibilities and let her know you aren't happy with the current situation. Relationships are all about communication. Put out your stool, let her know what your standards are.
      Reply

    • Tami Ashley says

      My Thai step mom is the same. I pay half the mortgage own a business, single mom and do all the cleaning up and gardening. My Dad pays the other half and she just stinks up the house, complains and eats sticky rice and fish with her fingers. Leaves everything out on the counters and leaves fish prints on everything andblays on the couch all day. She says she likes to take the "easy way" not a way to make herself welcome, they money hungry dirty beast.
      Reply

  17. Jayson says

    From the perspective of seeing Thai people who move to U.S. (intending to stay/build a life) they tend to be very mentally lazy. Yes they will work 12 hours a day, 6 days a week at a restaurant repeating the same tasks over and over. I wouldn't call that lazy. Yet those same people could be working 8 hours a day, 5 days a week and earn the same but choose not to move outside of what is familiar.

    Yes, many people from many countries do this. But Thai's take it to the extreme. They can identify goals, things they want in life in idle conversation, but aren't willing to put the (non-physical) energy it takes to make it a reality.

    If they are content with life as it is, more power to them. And there are systematic socio-cultural barriers in effect. But it's hard to sympathize with someone complaining about a problem who isn't willing to even try to fix it in a creative way.

    Conversely, Thai's don't complain all that much.
    Reply

    • TheThailandLife says

      My experience of Thai people in the UK is that they generally work very hard. Most either own restaurants or import businesses of some description, others are working in the National Health Service or in social care. There are many working in restaurants, including a lot of students who are studying at University. I would say that in comparison with foreigners in Thailand, they tend to learn the language very quickly, integrate very well in terms of assimilating with the culture, and do very well.I think your description can be applied to pretty much most native people of any country. The large majority of people go to work eight hours a day, six days a week and don't have the drive or desire to set up their own business or change jobs. I don't look down on people for that. Some people are not interested in making a lot of money or don't have something work wise that they really want to do. The large majority of people see a job as just a way to pay the bills, and what they do outside of work - such as socialise with family and friends and engage in hobbies - is the most important thing to them.I am not sure about the complaining. I think Thais tend to complain less. By nature, as a British man, I do like a good old complain, with a cup of tea, of course :)
      Reply

  19. Rhonda Maza says

    I lived in both Florida and Pennsylvania
    During snow storms when every other restaurant and even Walmart is closed and DURING a hurricane only restaurants or even.business of any kind open was Thai restaurants. I see the strongest work ethic i .the world for sure and least lazy.
    Reply

    • TheThailandLife says

      Indeed, I have met a number of Thais working in the UK and they all work long hours. Some students working in restaurants, others having moved to the UK with their partner and working full-time in the public service sector. Every country has its lazy people, but you can't tarnish everyone with the same brush.
      Reply

  20. James says

    Going on 4 years in Thailand now. Sorry to say it, the vast majority of Thais I've met are lazy people. A minority I've met are hard working because they want to. Most of the hardworkers I've met work hard because they don't have a choice. And yes, even my Thai friends say that Thai people are lazy. It's not just foreigners that say this.
    Reply

  21. Darren says

    Yes most Thais are lazy. Ask them, they will tell you. It frustrates the 10% who are not.
    Take for example all the piles of rubbish that are everywhere.

    People too lazy to walk to a bin.
    The officials too lazy to provide bins or even bother to consider it.
    Have a picnic on the beach, just get up and leave.

    I like Thais, I am lazy too. Great for socializing, but generally useless getting things done or doing things properly.
    Reply

    • Martin1 says

      Hahaha! Even too lazy to walk down a road!

      So they prefer to give 10 THB to a motorbike taxi to drive them to the end of the street instead of walking by themselves.

      Consider this with their cheap Charly mentality as a background!
      Reply

      • TheThailandLife says

        Lazy or practical? Walk down a road and sweat like a dog, arriving at work dripping in your own secretions, or take a bike and ride in the breeze? Loads of Thais run and cycle for exercise. Have you ever run the Bangkok marathon? Turn out and you'll see hundreds of Thais out running.
        Reply

  22. matt jones says

    It's Isaan people that are lazy. Central Thais (mostly Thai Chinese) are just as hardworking as any East Asian nation. The Southern thais are also shrewd business-wise and they value education. But the Isaan folks - who are ethnic lao and khmer -- they are lazy. Instead of pursuing education, they either become prostitutes or marry creeping sexpats.
    Reply

    • TheThailandLife says

      What, all 23+ million people who live in that region, who make up more than a third of Thailand's population? You do know there are extremely wealthy people in/from Isaan? There are famous actors, singers, writers, poets, high ranking government officials, top executives, business owners. There are people from Isaan studying and living all over the world.

      You do also realise there are hundreds of thousands of men and women from the region who go to University in Bangkok and other parts of the country and go on to get great jobs?

      I think the disproportionate amount of women you meet from poor backgrounds working in bars - from provinces in Issan - has caused you to tarnish all Isaan people with a misinformed stereotype.

      The people are not ethnic Lao or Khmer, either, they are generally considered one or the other, with the Khmer speaking population down in the South of Isaan. That said, you will find that many Isaan people don't acknowledge a Lao lineage, because their roots may well be from elsewhere. Actually, depending on the kingdom in rule, at one time the people of the region would have been considered Khmer, before that Dvaravati (Mon), after that Lao.

      But! It's not as simple as that. Isaan people are an ethno-regional group not an ethnic minority - because the area has a mix of different people who have inhabited the area at different times. Regardless, it is broadly accepted that the majority of people in the region belong to the Tai group of peoples, as do Thai and Lao people.

      Many ethic Thai settled in the region in the 17th Century too, so a family who've lived in Isaan for 400 years may actually have originally been from Southern Thailand anyway. So the term Isaan is simply a regional term for people born in the area; it's not a race of people. It's a fascinating history. you should read this post: https://www.thethailandlife.com/origin-thai-people
      Reply

      • Martin1 says

        Sorry Peter, I can't second that!

        Chinese people usually have a whiter skin than Isan people, and also the shape of Isan people's heads is completely different than Chineses' or Thais'! Even Thai-Chineses'.

        When being in Bangkok I can easily identify people from Isan.

        According to your theory they would look like the Central Thai-Chinese. But actually they don't!
        Reply

        • TheThailandLife says

          It really depends where they are from. The Thai-Chinese originally from Guangdong generally have lighter skin, but it does vary. Some immigrants from Yunnan have lighter skin too, so you'll find many Hill Tribe people and Thais in the north of Thailand with lighter complexion too, as the gene pool has expanded over the years. My wife has white skin but is not Thai-Chinese, though it is highly probably she has some Chinese blood somewhere along the line, as many Thais do.There are many light-skinned Isaan people. It's the Khmer Thais and Thai-Malay who tend to be darker skinned.I too tend to be able to recognise people from Isaan quite easily. I agree that there is a typical look; "the Laos look". I remember a woman from Isaan taking delight in telling me that her husband had a funny square shaped head, like a Laos person. He was not amused. That said, I know many people from Isan who don't have that typical look. In particular, one family I know from Nakhon Ratchasima. Thailand has a pretty diverse gene pool. You should read this post I wrote on the origins of the Tai. It's interesting stuff: https://www.thethailandlife.com/origin-thai-people
          Reply

    • ChrisH says

      @ matt jones......"It's Isaan people that are lazy". So says someone who is too lazy to use the correct grammar with capital letters for their own name. Lazy is as lazy does. The word 'Isaan' covers a lot of territory. And.....matt jones, my Thai wife is from Isaan country and she is neither a prostitute or married to a "creeping sexpat" thank you very much. People (expats?) come to Thailand and should therefore either accept the culture or leave. Whinging about some of the Thai's work attitude will change nothing.
      Reply

  23. Jim Josperine says

    Is it not simply the case that the predominant number of Western commentators on Thailand have not had the opportunity to get to know Thais of better social status and educational merit; rather that they are more likely to be familiar with those who are not high achievers and aren't from high-achieving families?

    This being the case, isn't it therefore impossible to form an opinion on the majority of Thais, given such a narrow base from which to draw any range of competence?

    Perhaps a more reasonable question posited by this article might therefore be "Are Thai People [of lower economic status] Really Lazy?", in which case the answer would perhaps be less challenging for the typical Westerner to debate, than has appeared to be the case within this thread. The foregoing notwithstanding, there is of course the rampant inequality to factor into the argument, such that there is little wonder those from less privileged backgrounds find it difficult to motivate themselves to do better. Furthermore that the nation’s wealth comes from those working in the fields and the factories – not from those driving the Benzes in Bangkok who exploit the poor.

    And of course the present non-elected military crowd in power appear to be doing nothing other than to further strengthen those with power, to the detriment of the common people.
    Reply

    • TheThailandLife says

      You make a good point, but I'd add that those born into wealth - particularly the younger generation - may also fall into the "lazy bracket". Having inherited a wealthy status off the back of their parents hard work, they are less motivated to work themselves. This is certainly the case with some of the high-end car driving elite who frequent the trendy bars of Thong Lor and Ekkamai. But I guess the same could be said in many countries around the world, and the same goes for your point on the lowers social scale. So perhaps the entire post is redundant, which in a roundabout way proves the overall point I was making :)
      Reply

  24. Yasin yip says

    I do not drink, I am not a whoremonger, I am not a wanted criminal in my home country, I have a hard working thai wife I speak thai, I play the endless time wasteine expensive thai visa game, i know my way stound, etc etc. I get tired, frustrated, insulted and irritated being treated like a tourist to cheat, 2 of 3 taxis, all tuktuks,any vendor with in marked items think nothing of gouging me. Most Lotus and bigc clerks ignore me not replying when spoken to in thai. Thai people cut in front, interrupt me demand service (smiles - farang are the thai version of 1940s black Americans? lol) the subtlety of thai culture means polite seeming behavior is akin to being kicked in the groin. My thai wife often gets treated like a nana bargirl despite 25 years working for thai government.
    Lol and trash fills the streets,in deference to thai trash "politrness" - ask any farang how difficult it is to meet good thai. The best rule to follow is: if a that stranger talks to you protect your wallet. A thai wife allows me to be willing to endure this, if not for her.......
    Reply

    • CJ Green says

      I am not sure if it is me but my Thai (Issan) wife spends more time picking the fleas out of our dogs, pruning others and starting chores but never finishing them, than she does taking care of the home I spent 2 years building with my bare hands, while able bodied male family members did nothing but the bare minimum. If I don't complain, which I hate doing, I spend my days living in shit and grime like the rest of our village. I find it hard to get my head around their mentality, although hey have nice big trucks. "You reap what you sow," right?. I would not mind but I spend 60 hours a week teaching then have to do housework to live at the standard fit for humans not pigs. A tandem cycle with only one person pedaling........ After reading the posts I believe ISSAN is a key word here........ Ban Nok......
      Reply

      • B C says

        I hear ya buddy. Entropy is defined as:

        1. PHYSICS
        a thermodynamic quantity representing the unavailability of a system's thermal energy for conversion into mechanical work, often interpreted as the degree of disorder or randomness in the system.

        2. lack of order or predictability; gradual decline into disorder.

        Thai's love entropy!

        It always makes me laugh to watch those soap operas on TV. Thai's living in impossibly large and wealthy houses which are always immaculate. The wealth always seems to be inherited or from a large family company... what reality is this?!
        Reply

  26. Brad says

    This is all about Thai's living/working in Thailand. How about Thai's abroad? As an Aussie who met and married a Thai when she was studying in Australia I heard stories or laziness/cheating/easiest path on many occasions. Sure, what I heard was anacdotal but it was happening. Examples:

    - the Thai/Thai fake but legal marriage. This way only one of the two needed to study to remain in Australia. I know of two 'couples' personally who did this.
    - paying someone to sit in and study for you. Yes, they would have a proxy study.
    - the Thai restaurant (in Australia) that pays Thai wages or not much better when minimum wage is about $15/hr. My wife worked in a Thai restaurant on about $4 an hour - no payslip, no insurance, no superannuation. The restaurant would turn over up to $12,000/night and the owner rolled in dressed to the hilt in a Mercedes. Needless to say that job was quit after 3 nights. I'm not a communist by any means but if you can't see what's wrong with that much pay difference, well...
    - the Thai which rents out an appartment, sticks in a bunch of bunk beds and sub-rents to students at quite a profit. Incredibly, I've heard of these 'landlords' threatening to deport the students if they talk about it - funny, I didn't realise that they had the power of Australian immigration officers.

    When you consider things like this you start to understand why Thailand has corruption. To me, corruption is a product of general society immaturity.

    From the get go. I said to my wife, if we do something we put in the work and do it properly. We declare all earnings, went properly through the driving/riding licence testing, all legit with immigration, etc. In the long run we are better of and in a much better position than her friends who took the easy path.
    Reply

  27. Immy says

    Thai people are not all lazy people.I'm Thai, My ennlish is not correct but I try to explain that Thais are lazy or not based on their implant subconscious and discipline From their family&Environment with attitude to life. Thai people don't like who lazy.

    - eg. Security guardare who is sleeping because the most boring job which sees people acting opiates. He is lazy and his boss boss dismissed him, of course.

    - eg. women massage who sitting storefront massage, Maybe she will relax in during a break Or waiting for customers.

    - Most Chinese people Thailand are hard work because Their
    Culture Life.
    - eg. Work while you work, and play while you play. So they are serious work done.

    I don't Know Why this post is important why the debate. It affects people who are not well known in Thailand. I wanna tell you that if you meet Thai who are strill lazy or bad Thais, please reminded them. If you have Lazy Thai worker, please warned and chased them out of work. If you meet who is patience and perseverance, always seeking new knowledge, you have Good Gift. Thank you
    Reply

    • TheThailandLife says

      I agree with you Immy.The ladies at my local massage shop work up to 12-14 hours a day, sometimes doing 8-9 massages a day. This is NOT lazy! You might see them sitting down eating inbetween, but if anyone has given someone else a massage before, you will know that after 10 minutes you want to stop. Imagine doing that for 9 hours a day!Some condo security guards can be lazy, like the one in my condo who never wants to get up and help me open the door when I have 10 shopping bags. But others are on their feet all day and work very hard.When someone says "Thai people are lazy", this is just an ignorant generalisation. Some people are lazy and others aren't. Different jobs require different levels of physical activity. Someone who sits on a computer all day might be considered lazy to someone who works outside in the sun all day on a building site.There are more lazy people in my country than in Thailand, that's for sure. In Thailand, if you don't want to work, you don't eat. In my country, if you don't want to work, you get food for free.
      Reply

    • Joe Tan says

      Thai people: enjoy first then work...

      That is the stupid attitude they have.

      I have open spa, ktv and food store in bangkok and have first hand experience with them.

      All they know is ใช่ ใช่ (yes yes)...
      All NATO no action talk only.

      I am not saying all thais are like that but majority of them are... sorry to say.

      Even my friends who have thai wife also speak the same. If given another chance they would not find a thai wife... spoken out by them.
      Reply

  28. Stan Church says

    I Just Got Done Reading Your Article On Thai Lazy, This Is So Bogus... I Have Vaca'd In Thailand 4 Times Over 12 Years For At Least 1 Month To 1.5 Months And I Must Say That I Have Never Seen A More Hard Working Class Of People From The Preteens To The Elderly. It Just Baffles The Mind That They Work Many Hours For A Small Amount Of Money With No Time Off, And When They Do Get Time For Themselves They Share It With Family & Friends...
    You Need To Open Your Eyes And Ears To Understand What Thai Life Is All About... Don't So Quick To Judge.....
    Reply

      • Brad says

        Let's just say that Thai's are indeed as hard working as westerners. If this is true than why is the west in a higher state of development? Why isn't this hard work paying off? Are they working hard but in circles, rather than a straight line?

        Conversely, many look at westerners as being lazy. But again, why is the west better developed. Why does lazy produce better outcomes?
        Reply

    • Arson says

      I agree to this comment. Normally foreigners who dont believe on the negative attitudes of thai people are most likely to have thai girlfriends or wife that they are very much exposed to their kind just showing off so they wont be tagged as "lazy" and oh by the way why not make an article about the thai attitude "i just want to show off". That would be a great article
      Reply

    • Auan says

      I do not agree. Thai people are lazy and not lazy. This new middle class is very lazy and can not do anything by own hands. They are happy we have our own house and food. It does not matter, if clothings and shirts are on the floor and in a box. Never mind it easy to find it from there, what You need.

      And what a waste of time to find cloths. But thai people do not want to think,
      what happens tomorrow. They just are happy, what is now. They have food,
      You can sleep where every You want.

      All the house are just half made, not finished. And still they say I like beauty.
      But if You go to thai home, everything is on the floor in boxes and boxes are every where.

      So lazy or not, but I will say thais are lazy to think and make changes. Everything have to be like Grand Mother said.

      This is big problem here, if thai's do not start thinking. How many invention have made in Thailand? Not many I know.

      And working, what is that? They are at the work place 10 hours and work 8 hours. Because they sleep and eat too.

      Lazy or not, but they have here big problems.

      Auan
      Reply

  29. Brad says

    I have lived in Thailand for only 4 months now. In my experience I would not say Thai's are lazy, per say, but... Thai's (compared to western countries) do lack things such as 'inititive', 'pride of home' and 'future though'.

    One only needs to look at a Thai house. There is stuff around the yard everywhere, most of it is junk that's been there for years and will never be used. Where is the pride of home? There is no inititive to clean up the place let alone landscape and actually improve the house.

    Future though? Many Thai I have met don't have a concept of finance beyond the next meal. They complain about not having enough money to travel, for example, but don't understand overseas travel requires months of saving, even for westerners... Traditionally the kids looked after the elders but with many Thai's not having children now and not even getting married, well, something will have to give.

    Lazy, no. But if they want what we have in the west then a solid kick up the bum in many areas is required.
    Reply

  30. Nathan says

    Come on people. Lazy people are everywhere! Think of this: if X % (X is a number, by the way) of the total population is composed of lazy individual, assuming that laziness has a correlation with the ethnicity, then we will see more lazy people from the population of 70,000,000-ish than in the population (of different ethnicity) of 1,000,000. I am a Thai who was raised by a highly driven and ambitious family, and I have friends to were raised by an easy-going and laid-back family. Now, I am living in Canada and I have had experience living with roommates from different ethnicity. I have met lazy Chineses (not to mention that my lazy Chinese roommate used to have an even lazier Korean roommate), lazy Indians, and lazy Canadians; laziness exists in ALL nations. However, I haven't met any lazy European yet, so I couldn't prove a European to be lazy. Yet, I have to admit that my Thai friends are lazy. BUT, a whole lot of my non-Thai friends are even lazier than my Thai friends. That's very human; Lazy people are omnipresent and ubiquitous. Period.
    Reply

    • TheThailandLife says

      Laziness is hugely subjective, too. Mother Nature doesn't give a toss if you stress yourself out every day of your life trying to be "successful", because ultimately it has no meaning. Material gains, qualifications, all this self-development stuff. Hell, she laughs at all this because the key objective in nature is self-preservation and longevity. Eat, rest, stay well, don't destroy the environment and bear offspring to keep your lineage going. As long as you do these things, I doubt she gives a crap if others call you lazy.Anyway, just a little spiritual take on this subject :)But really, the large majority of Thai people I have met in my years here have been hard working and happy to pitch in and help others too.
      Reply

  32. Matt says

    Hi, I have loved in Thailand for almost 5 years now and I am married to a Thai national. Me and my wife met in the UK as she was studying there and experience as well as mine is that Thai men are predominantly lazy. Women on the other hand are exceptionally hard working. This problem is top down, bottom up.

    At government level it is usually a male boss doing all the talking, but when it comes to doing the actual work, it is passed on to his secretaries who are predominantly female.

    I have been told by many Thai females that the problem is thai boys are taught and treeted as though they are incapable and so there sisters, mother, aunts etc must always help them. As the men get older this reliance on women to everything persists and men will only do the easiest of jobs. The majority of builders I see in Thailand at least in Bangkok are women, most office workers are women, most teachers are women. Men seem to get top jobs, like doctors, but there are lazy and often just talk and send you off with a female nurse to be treated.

    I know a lot of thai guys and their work ethic is nothing compared to their other halves.

    I know a few busines owners who say thepat if they could, they would hire an all female staff.

    It's not that Thai people are lazy in general, because at least 50% of them work harder than most people! it just that the other 50% are more visible and often hold positions of authority.
    Reply

  33. Persona says

    I'm Thai, born in the US and moved / stayed here for about 20 years and from my experiences, majority of Thais are lazy. Of course I would like to say all Thais are but then I would be completely biased. But I am confident enough to say that out of every 10 Thais, about 8 or 9 are lazy although you may need to know more about the person to finally have them show their true colors.

    Thais are pretty good at giving first impressions simply because in this country, saving face is everything (which leads to why many Thai people are insecure). So if they give a good impression, for example, they claim they are rich, you will start to believe the reason they are rich is because they're hardworking. But the truth is that most of them lie (only when you know them enough to see through their masks).

    Thai people love cars because cars = you have $$$. I know a ton of Thais who say they bought their car with cash on hand and they worked very hard for that cash when in reality, they earn minimum wage due to their laziness and are most likely going to be in debt for the rest of their lives.

    Thais complain they don't earn enough yet when I find them freelance jobs to do which pays way more than their fulltime job, they don't take it. In fact, some are so lazy that they want me to contact them to give them the job. If they really were hardworking, calling me back wouldn't be a problem at all considering I am helping them to begin with.

    I know some Thais who are happy with their minimum wage jobs simply because they do just about nothing at work, even if they have to sit around for 8 hours a day, 6 days a week. I would die of boredom and would rather use all that time to get paid more.

    Majority of Thais would rather spend the night going out than to work for extra money. They complain about money yet don't expect to do anything about it. The only reason you see people work 6 days a week and all that is because if they don't, they're going to starve to death, and starving to death isn't a good feeling. Try offering them something more difficult but with better pay and I'm quite sure they will either find excuses not to do it or flat out say they don't want it.

    I think the problem with this article is that the author doesn't know these Thais well enough to see their true colors.

    Also to make sure, I'm Thai, fluent in both English and Thai therefore I'm quite sure my opinion is different from say, how a farang sees a Thai.
    Reply

    • Martin says

      I second what Persona wrote.

      I mean there never "All Thais are like ...", "All Germans are like...", "All Britons are like.." and so on.

      But what I see in Thailand is women sitting all day long in their massage Studios (real one, not the boom-boom massage, but even there, too).
      And I swear if they were offered free classes to get higher education and subsequently get higer payment, they would not take those classes.

      There may be a cultural difference in Thailand: There is native Thai, there is People from Isaan, and there is Thai-Chinese! The last Group is really far from anyone could call lazy!!!
      People from Isaan have been Born in a 45 degree Environment... So, how much working would we do in such an Environment?

      And: Who says that working hard, and making mucho $$ is really the key to happiness?
      I mean maybe People from Tahiland, Jamaica etc. are much happier in their life than many greedy Westeners...
      Our income is taxed away, and in case of a divorce the women take it.
      Haha. ;-)
      Reply

      • TheThailandLife says

        I really don't think they want to be sitting all day. If they are they aren't getting paid and won't be able to pay for rent, food and send money home to their kids and parents. In my local massage place the women often work 10-12 hours a day and do 8+ massages, depending on how busy it is. When they aren't busy they are complaining. Try doing just a one hour Thai massage and see how your hands and arms feel. Doing that constantly, day in day out, takes its toll. In the UK, a masseuse will do maximum 2 or 3 a day, some just half an hour, and get paid upwards of 50 GBP for each. Many of the women I see sitting around are 45-50+, but look older in terms of body shape and general health. They have had poor nutrition and bad diets their whole lives, so it's no wonder they lack energy.Also, I think it's unfair to use the Thai massage industry as an indication of laziness. I'm visiting a friend at an office this morning and every single person here is hard at work. Most here work 9am to 7pm.
        Reply

    • Brad says

      How about traditional housewife Thai mothers. They believe and tell their children, especially their daughters, that 'I have given you the gift of life and raised you therefore you are forever in my debt'... So the kids grow up, start working and the Thai mum 'retires' as soon as possible because at 40 something years old she's had a hard life sweeping the house floor twice a day and being worshipped by the kids. The kids now have to pay any spare money to the parents and the cycle of poverty continues.
      Reply

    • Professor says

      I think the problem with this article is that the author doesn’t know these Thais well enough to see their true colours.

      This is very accurate persona. As is your descriptions of the average Thai. Yes, there are hardworking Thais, and there are lazy people in all places and ethnic groups, but the author seems to speak with authority whilst not having had a well rounded experience. He has perhaps spent much of his time within a certain social strata in Thailand. I have noticed this in his other articles, where he glosses over very real issues in Thailand and somehow only finds fault not in the Thais themselves but in the type of person that is drawn to Thailand/Thais.

      I have lived and worked around Thailand over 15 years, as well as in other countries, can speak Thai fluently, and agree 100% with your view.

      TTL: These massage girls/masseuses you speak of, the majority of them sit around in their free time doing practically nothing. They have a golden opportunity in that free time to study and exit the industry. But most won't do that EVEN if presented the opportunity on a golden platter. I have personal experience with this.

      Even in the office environment, I have never seen a more lazy, shallow people, perhaps with the exception of the Middle East.

      I've often met lazy Brits or Americans or even Canadians, they may be lazy but that is not the average.

      No, we shouldn't generalize. But either way you slice it, you will be generalizing from your experience.

      The bottom line is this...if you were to give an AVERAGE Thai the opportunity to something better, that would require much harder work, you will discover in many cases that they will either not accept the opportunity, or they won't live up to their end of the bargain.

      Interestingly, the hardest working Thais I have met and known, including my wife, are those who could care less for the THAI WAY or culture. They break free from that and somehow that gives them a totally different perspective of life. It also seems to eliminate their addiction to saving/gaining face.
      Reply

  36. Jules says

    The real issue here is comparisons. Laziness is relative to the social norm, it is subjective. I have 6 or 7 Thai employees and I really struggle with what I perceive to be both their physical and mental apathy. One poster commented on the heat, and its a vliad observation that heat makes physicaal exertion more difficult. In fact I think the climate effects the whole physcology of the Thai way of life and particularly the work ethic.

    Westerners from temperate climates in the northern hemisphere, have a cultural, evolutionary impetus to excel in economic terms, to "store" the result of excessively productve behaviour for when the cold weather comes. The evolution of the SE Asia and Thailand imparticular simply does not have the same drivers. Fall asleep under a coconut tree for they day, and theres every chance you can still eak out a meal of somekind before the sun goes down. Work for Thai's has not been an evolutionary necessity.
    Reply

    • Brad says

      Yes, the west has the protestant work ethic at play. Even if you are not christian it is permiated into society. Even by comparing catholic western countries to protestant western countries you can see a difference, let alone by comparing to a bhuddist country.
      Reply

  38. Annette says

    I've never been to Thailand, but I have to agree with Chris about Thais being lazy, selfish, and bad manner. I have nothing to be bias about Thai people. It happens that I have a coworker who is Thai Chinese, but she has lost her Chinese culture in her, said by her. I've been working with her for 1 year. Through conversation, time with her, I notice that she is in fact lazy, selfish, and rude.
    She is 37 years old living in North America for 6 years. I asked why she wants to leave Thailand while the rest of her family still live in Thailand. She wants to have a change. She didn't say explicitly. But through the conversations, I guess one thing from her is that she wants to look for a husband. But I don't know if she can find one soon because she fits into the Thai characteristics that Chris said.
    Reply

    • TheThailandLife says

      That's one Thai person out of 60 million odd. Thai-Chinese are known here for their non-stop work ethic. There are lazy people in every country. There are rude people in every country. However, for the majority of people who come into contact with Thais, the experience is largely positive. Thai people are generally great to be around. They live in the moment, they enjoy life for what it is and they prefer to smile and laugh than moan and criticise.
      Reply

  39. Erik says

    You'd be lazy too if your monthly salary was 5-10K baht for 10 hour workdays which is in fact not uncommon for unskilled shop work. Thais make up for lack of material wealth by being social and playing around.

    I do not believe Thais are lazy at all, they're exceptional at service fields for example in most better hotels and the food cart lady making 100s if not 1000s of meals a day is not exactly lazy either, neither is her son/daughter who goes from school to work every day.

    The Thais who are lazy are the Thais spoiled in the tourist industry where people tip them for nothing and they get used to people coming and going with no repurcusions for bad work ethic.

    You get what you pay for. If you pay your security guard the minimum wage, don't be surprised when he goes to sleep on his nightshift.
    Reply

  40. Chris says

    I've been living in Thailand for about 6 years, have been married to a Thai for about 2 years, and most of my friends are Thai. I would have to say that, overall, the perception of Thais by both foreigners and Thais is that they are lazy. My wife and friends (Thai) often jokingly attribute general problems in Thai society to "prawaa kon Thai kee gyet" (because Thai people are lazy).

    In my own experience, having worked for both Thai companies and foreign-run companies employing Thais, I would say that Thais in general will take the shortest and easiest path to get something done. I suppose this is not necessarily laziness per se, as they are at least getting from Point A to Point B, but I would certainly never expect them to do so with any flare, creativity, or "above and beyond" demonstration of effort. I would call them "lazy thinkers". A prime example would be that If they can get away with copying and pasting something into reports, they will. If asked to think for themselves and put any level of creative input into something, it is like a deer in headlights. They aren't taught to think independently in their school systems, and this translates to copy-and-paste mentality. I have never seen plagiarism on the same level as in Thai society. Certainly, many will stay late hours, but I have learned that this is mostly because air conditioning and internet in the office are free.

    As another example, I just asked my wife her thoughts on the issue, and she responded: "Yes, of course Thai people are lazy. Look at the red shirts taking 500 baht hand outs as vote bribes. They will do anything to get money without working. Some Thais sell their kids to avoid working hard. Prostitution is also a form of laziness, trying to get money through the least exertion possible, and is obviously rampant throughout Thailand."

    I am not one of those grumpy anti-Thai forum posters on thaivisa.com, and I do not have any hatred towards Thais. I would, however, say that there is a tendency to laziness in their society.
    Reply

    • TheThailandLife says

      Hi Chris, thanks for your input, some valid points to think about, particularly about creativity and going "above and beyond" - but then sadly the Thai school system doesn't encourage creativity at a young age, in fact I had a message this week from a teacher talking about just that. Initiative, free thinking and creativity are replaced with the teachings of traditional standards.Regarding your wife's comment about the redshirts, I think that is a little harsh. Who wouldn't accept 500 Baht a day to sit at a demonstration for a few days if you've been breaking your back in rice fields for the last twenty years for little more than 150 Baht a day or less. They no nothing of politics, they are just trying to create a better life for themselves by capitalising on opportunity, the same way we all do, albeit in different ways using different means. I wouldn't say these guys are lazy either. Have you ever worked from 6am - 4pm in the boiling hot sun labouring in a rice field or on a building site? I haven't and I wouldn't want to.I think to say prostitution is laziness is a sweeping generalisation; for the majority it is a "choice" made against few other choices. We must accept looking down from our privileged lives that education, class, regional prejudice, a lack of state welfare and male accountability for their offspring are key factors in why the industry has grown as it has in Thailand. Some might argue that purposely little is done to prevent women falling into this net because the industry - propped up largely by tourism - provides financial support for approximately 1.7m (and their dependents) of the population, meaning the government don't need to provide support through welfare/education/back to work schemes, etc, from what should be the public purse. *that figure is approximate and inclusive of male and female sex workers.It is all too easy for a person who has had access to a decent education, never had to question where the next meal is coming from, and always had access to funds when needed to point the finger at prostitution. The way capitalist societies are set up is that there has to be people on the bottom who, no matter how hard they labour, will stay there. Not everyone can be well-off or well educated (money and class dictates this in Thailand, certainly) or have the dream they see others living who were more privileged in life's birth lottery. And therefore to attain the things the TV/media says will make us "happier" some are willing to risk their being.Moreover, if a woman with 2 children, with no education and no financial support from the children's father or the state, has a choice to work as a cleaner for 8,000 Baht a month or a prostitute for 30,000+, I can imagine that is a fairly tough call. On one hand no woman wants to become a prostitute (most), but on the other any child/parent will tell you that if facing remaining poor, and all the hardship that comes with it, they would sacrifice themselves for their family/kids to have a better life. As we know, a degree is a minimum for a woman to find a job that will make her self sufficient in Thailand, let alone support dependent(s). And after all, should she not aspire for her children to have a good education and the best in life as we aspire for our kids? Remember, many of these women come from broken families, often where alcoholism, gambling and/or abuse is present. There is no "can you help me out with next month's rent Dad", or "I want to set up this business can I have a loan". There is no money, and if there is, it gets spent on booze and/or gambled away. Many parents put increasing pressure on daughters to send money home, and girls won't turn their backs on parental pressure/mental abuse because of face, not to mention that their kids usually stay with their parents so they have a responsibility to send money home in that respect. Parental pressure concerning money is a huge factor, something the middle/upper clases need not worry about because the parents support the children, not the other way around.Before simply casting people off as lazy one needs to walk a mile in another's shoes. My sister in law works in a factory with her husband. They have one child. Their life is a constant struggle to get ahead of themselves, to save money for their daughter and their future. He is a good man, doesn't drink or gamble or hit the karaoke bars, yet 2 salaries each month only just make ends meet. They would love to start a business, but with only a high school rural education that finished early, the likelihood of them being successful in such an endeavour is slim, and besides who will lend them the money? The bank won't, which would mean being exploited by the high interests of a loan shark, another reason many resort to the fast money to be made in prostitution; paying off family loans. So can you tell me how a girl with 1 perhaps 2 kids, no education, parental pressure for money and no savings can carve out a good standard of living for her and her children in a society where living costs are rising and a university degree is standard for a job upwards of 10,000 Baht?The notion that it is an easy job is also misguided. Can you imagine being an attractive young woman who should be hanging out with guys her own age enjoying life, but instead has to crack on to sociapathic old western men night after night, and then have them abuse her like a dog in the bedroom just to get paid. That is no easy task. It takes mental conditioning. Not to mention all the drinking and unsociable hours will take their toll. This is why an increasing number of these women are ending up alcoholics and drug addicts. But who cares, right? They're just lazy poor people.Of course, even when faced with considerable financial hardship, I think it takes a certain type of person to be able to do such a job, for any considerable period of time, anyway. Or maybe not, maybe I have never been desperate enough or pressured enough by culture/parents etc to understand. Humans are highly adaptable beings, and once the soul is numbed to being used as a physical means to an end I guess it becomes sort of normal. Some would rather remain poor and accept their lot, others want the "happy family" TV dream, and don't see why all these other people should have it and not them just because they were luckier in the birth lottery. Fair enough.I won't deny, however, that there is always the exception to the rule. Just as there are in the west there are women who don't need to work in the sex industry but choose to for easy money, but as we know 90%+ female prostitutes in Thailand have kid(s), zero education and come from underprivileged backgrounds. I dare say that it is us who are lazy in our understanding of others.
      Reply

  41. Cardero says

    One of the obvious reasons that people perceive Thais as lazy is all of the napping that goes on while they are working.

    One of the things I immediately noticed as unique to Thailand is the motorcycle taxis taking a nap on their bike, Shop girls sleeping with their head on the counter, Tuk Tuk Drivers pulled over to the side of the road sleeping in the back seat.

    It is simply something you do not see where I am from. If you were to take a nap at work, particularly with your head on the service counter, you would be fired!

    Personally, the four years I have been here in Bangkok, the Thai's that I have developed relationships with both personal and professional are not lazy. They just have a completely different perspective on life, one that I personally admire.
    Reply

    • TheThailandLife says

      I think the napping is largely down to bad diet. People are under the illusion that Thai food is really good for you, but truth is it is laden with sugar, which is causing a huge diabetes problem nationwide. Add to the mix the 7-11 diet of snacks and nitrate/processed hot dogs and you have a recipe for zero power and sugar crashes. Rice also comprises a main staple of the Thai diet; a simple carb that burns quickly through the body providing little sustainable energy resource. The plus side is the vegetable and fruit intake, but I fear this is being heavily replaced by snacking on "khanom" (sweets/snacks). It is also very hot, we must bear that in mind. I like an afternoon nap here myself, whereas in colder climates I tend not too. Another consideration is airconditioning. Surely breathing this all day can't be good for the respiratory system and staying awake..?
      Reply

    • TheThailandLife says

      Indeed Valerie, but I also think that laziness is partly mistaken for it being too bloody hot to work like a dog in many countries. It is easy to be productive in an air conditioned office, not so easy when the sun is beating down on your back. I am up country at the moment and have been forced to nap each afternoon due to heat exposure, and I have the luxury of being able to jump into an air conditioned car for a break when needed.
      Reply

  44. Thai Eagle says

    There are many lazy people in the world, but I would not consider Thai's "in general"
    lazy. You must always take culture and upbringing into consideration when analyzing any situation. Now American's there f--kin lazy;)
    Reply

  45. V F says

    I think some people mistake hard work for talent and achievement, thinking they deserve accolades simply for working hard regardless of results.

    If one works hard but has no talent, they won’t get far. You may obtain similar results with talent but an unwillingness to work at it. Only with talent and hard work can one expect to excel.

    I think we do people a disservice by telling them all they have to do is work hard or not be lazy and they will succeed.
    Reply

    • Lloyd says

      "thinking they deserve accolades simply for working hard regardless of results"

      I would beg to differ, a person who is visibly working harder surely deserves respect for their effort, it is highly likely that person is simply in a role that is not suited to their own talents, by not acknowledging their efforts we are more likely to give them reason to regret putting in the effort.
      Reply

      • V F says

        One can view my statement from different perspectives and I was perhaps visualizing those talentless idiots on American Idol, as an example, who think they deserve to win just because they worked hard and really, really want it. I don’t think it is necessarily enough to just show up in life.

        Granted in a personal relationship we often make exceptions based on different objectives and expectations. It doesn’t pay to be too honest or critical in all situations. Still I find the “I work so hard” line does not often sway me. I would rather see someone work smart, rather than work hard, but that is just me.
        Reply

  46. Lloyd says

    Heres a few "points"...

    The propensity for many "rural" Thais not to cleanup their homes, properties and the levels of polution on most main highways. This is not unique to Thais however it is arguably more abundant in Thailand than the rest of SE Asia, look at KL and Singapore now. Polution in Thailand is a major issue and something the ASEAN members have listed as an item to be addressed.

    Failure to "finish" one project before moving onto the next, it could be called "laziness" but it is a very common Thai trait that many Government departments, business owners and employees never seem to finish one project or task and seem to jump about as if avoiding the obvious work left to be done.

    I lasted just under 3 weeks working as a senior development consultant at Kasikorn bank, I walked out because I had no hope of achieving what I had been brought onboard to do simply because of the "cultural" traits like what @Vansi lists. Management too "lazy" too implement real change and bring about stricter and yet more open work policies allowing staff to work harder for rewards, very senior management avoiding bring attention to problems, of laziness and slow delivery schedules etc, for fear of having their own work and practices reviewed. And the list went on and on, my personal impression of large corporate policies and workers in the banking industry in Thailand was that the vast majority of the staff were "lazy" compared to the likes of Singapore, KL, HK, Seoul and even Indonesia.
    Reply

    • TheThailandLife says

      @Lloyd. I take your point that people might not be lazy to go to work but are lazy at work and lazy to implement ideas/strategy conducive to increased productivity and the welfare of others. But at this point perhaps other aspects of "Thainess" come into play, like "mai pen rai", Buddhism/Mindfulness (as Vansi notes)?
      Reply

      • Lloyd says

        I don't go for the whole “Thainess” and as for “mai pen rai”, thing, its more of a cultural excuse than anything genuinely unique. The same people who will spend their days avoiding confrontation, failing to finish projects and basically being "lazy" are often the first to kick-off if they are given the same level of respect or service!
        Reply

        • valerie says

          I agree


          TheThailandLife:
          @Lloyd. I take your point that people might not be lazy to go to work but are lazy at work and lazy to implement ideas/strategy conducive to increased productivity and the welfare of others. But at this point perhaps other aspects of “Thainess” come into play, like “mai pen rai”, Buddhism/Mindfulness (as Vansi notes)?





          Lloyd:
          I don’t go for the whole “Thainess” and as for “mai pen rai”, thing, its more of a cultural excuse than anything genuinely unique. The same people who will spend their days avoiding confrontation, failing to finish projects and basically being “lazy” are often the first to kick-off if they are given the same level of respect or service!



          Lazy people are everywhere, You can find them wherever you go. There's lazy people here in Philippines too. Whatever nationality or Country you're from.
          Reply

  47. Jimbob80 says

    I have a Thai wife and we both have a young son.
    We spend many times each year travelling to Thailand to see her family and our friends there. Her family is from Chanthaburi which is just far enough out of BKK to be much more relaxed, but not easy!
    Her family own fruit orchards and also work in the local University, they work bloody hard. Much harder than I would ever want to. In that aspect, I am lazy! I am like this, because I come from a country (Australia) where if I did not want to work, I could live on Government payments for the rest of my life. Like so many of the Aussies here!!!
    But I am not like that....
    I have witnessed the lives of many Thai friends whom come from families in the country and the big cities and all of them work extremely hard.

    I would say that any fellow Farang's whom say that Thai's are lazy, they really need to spend time with Thai's. Live with them, experience their life, spend weeks/months with them. Then you will have a whole new idea of how they live and then will realise that we are fortunate to live in countries that pay us to be lazy!
    Reply

    • TheThailandLife says

      @jimbob80 - I think that's half the problem. The majority of farangs who say stuff like this have a limited experience of the "average working thai person" and are usually speaking from isolated negative experience or the hearsay of others. Of course, there are lazy people in every country,and there are certainly different work practices here, not all of them positive as @Lloyd points out, but to simply say "Thais are lazy" is ignorant.
      Reply

  48. Chris says

    You live in Bangkok, people in Bangkok are driven because of competition you can't survive without being cut throat and working hard. Exit Bangkok and then you know how lazy people are. I lived in Chiang Mai for three years and only know maybe 10 people who work hard. I know plenty of people who are at work 10 hours a day 6 days a week there but I wouldn't call any of them diligent nor would I call them hardworking.

    Thais have a saying "Northern lazy, Isaan money, central selfish, and southerners are bad". This is a generalization however there is more than a little truth to this.
    Reply

    • vansi says

      Chris, that last bit was very funny.
      But I live in CM and my cousin runs a small-medium office here, and boy, do I wish my business in Bangkok would be half as productive AND sanouk as his business and workers.

      This is my observations so far, and I am a noob here, only a year, living in CM but running a fast-paced business in Bangkok employing staffers and service-providers as outsource.

      1. Thais are very hard-working
      2. Thais want to take pride in their work
      3. Thais have a healthy attitude towards insane farangs demands
      4. Thais can draw a line saying "enough is enough"

      But
      1. Thais are not problem-solvers
      2. Thais are uncomfortable being forth coming with problems at work
      3. Thais tend to keep things buried inside and act a little passive-aggressive sometimes
      4. Thais need guidance in technical tasks as they tend to think below the horizon.

      AND
      1. Some Thais SAY Thais are lazy
      2. There is a serious culture gap, (and I can write a book about this, some of the stigmas deriving from westerners using western filters to decipher Thai social behavior.)
      3. Westerners don't take Buddhism as part of the equation. Hell, I heard some very prominent westerners here saying "It's not really a buddhist country". Well, it is! And, for example, the concept of middle-way (Not too tight not to loose) is so imbued in the culture but so not understood by western expats, that it turns into "They are all lazy, just looking for sanouk-sabai")

      My conclusion?
      Thais are not lazy. Westerners, at least some of them, are. Lazy in an imperial, white-man burden sort of way, imposing western concepts on a host culture that is way more subtle and intricate then their own binary, lazy way of perceiving the world around them.
      Reply

      • TheThailandLife says

        I would struggle to disagree with anything in that list Vansi. Indeed, some Thais do say other Thais are lazy, but I guess all of us say that about some of our fellow countrymen. I have met a good few Chinese people who think Thais are very lazy.
        Reply

    • TheThailandLife says

      Good point, but then most people migrate to the city to work harder to earn more money because working harder in rural areas doesn't necessarily yield more money - suggesting they aren't lazy. I agree that arguably it is easier to be lazier outside of city life because there isn't the pressure to keep up. I suppose I am like that, when my back is against the wall I work harder.
      Reply

    • Tom says

      Hey Chris, we were having the same conversation on your blog under the article 'why i hate Toms' your article was one big generalization. Someone pointed out they know a Tom who was nice and then you said there are exceptions to every rule. I then commented asking why don't you put some of these exceptions in your article then so you would come across so narrow minded and judgmental and guess what, you deleted all of my comments!! Not a very professional way to run a blog! If you cant take the criticism then maybe running a blog aint for you.

      Sorry to this blog owner for jumping in with this, but it is kinda relevant to Chris's comments above and it's nice to know that the readers still have freedom of speech even if they have to go about posting it on a different blog!
      Reply

      • chris says

        I think I hit the approve thing twice and it went to un-approve but then I approved it anyway it was there when you made this comment so i don't know what your talking about. Very rarely do I delete a comment. Since moving out of Chiang Mai though I do see Thai's working harder even if that's contradicting what I may have said previously. It's OK Tom, to have a difference of opinion.
        Reply

      • Chris says

        well i didn't make it up and i'm surprised you never heard the saying before.
        Just because you go to work for 10 hours a day every day doesn't make you diligent nor does it make you hardworking, it's what you do while you're there and how productive you are determines whether you are hardworking or not.
        Reply

    • Tony says

      The culture is very lazy. I’ve worked in both public and private entities for five years, and it’s always about doing as little as possible and sweeping wrong doing under the rug in order to save-face. Additionally, I’m married to a Chinese-Thai. She is highly educated, week-read, and well travelled.

      It’s too depressing to continue writing, so I’ll stop here. But please keep in mind, it is a developing country so you cannot place the same standards/values on its citizens. Of the fifty countries I’ve had the pleasure of visiting, Thais are certainly the most unique... and not in the most flattering sense.
      Reply

      • TheThailandLife says

        Hey Tony, just wondering if you categorise your wife under the same "laziness" umbrella?I genuinely can't say this is my experience. All my Thai friends work incredibly hard, as do the large majority of Thais I see running businesses and working for businesses in and around where I live. Most are slugging it out, working 12 hour+ days for not much incentive.I honestly can't see that it is any worse or different to my home country. Back in the UK we have millions who don't want to work and grow up with a "self-entitlement" attitude to life, leaning on others and the state their entire lives, while others wouldn't dream of not pitching in and doing a hard day's graft each day.
        Reply

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