Is Los still an interesting relocation base?

[kojis]

Elef wrote in a different thread:

 

"The market concept is very complicated, the world economy is one market, the beggar buying a handful rice has influence on the world market even if infinite small, while big actors like the chinese or american goverments have a bigger influence, but not one person, group or country controls the situation.

 

The strong baht can be explained with cheap labour cost, attractive climate, nice women, good rice, good conditions for big foreign companies (BoI), so without financial operations by BoT the baht had been stronger and Thailand had been less attractive to importers, investors and tourists. "

 

 

 

 

Interesting post... it has me wondering despite the gloom messiahs hitting the Finance section of this board if Thailand is still to remain a favoured place to relocate.

 

Was talking to a friend a few days ago who's buying a piece of land and setting up a factory in BKK and asked him why he preferred Thailand over China that seems to attract a lot of companies in our field (Gem and Jewelry).

 

He claims Chinese salaries are increasing very fast while our industry in Thailand has suffered quite a bit from that same chinese competion, hence he sees Thai salaries getting soon lower than the chinese ones with a large relatively qualified workforce having troubles finding employement in BKK. Besides he seems quite happy with the BOI incentives.

 

I must say that despite a disturbing strong baht and incentives to set up business ex Shenzhen where the new inlaws are not exactly rice farmers I still see LOS as a very atractive country. Not particular question here... mostly checking the vibes... will move that to Career and Finance BTW

 

[Bangkoktraveler]

I look at it as part of the world wide globalization. Governments and big business will run the world of the future. The days of the little guy's business is approaching extinction.

 

As for retiring in Thsiland, I would suggest making plans now instead of later. Later never comes.

[Julian2]

It certainly wouldn't hurt to start looking around, work out what you want for your retirement; location, housing, activities.... do the mathematics and see if it adds up.

I can't see that worrying over long term financial forecasts will help, if economic analysts can't agree on them you could dither around for years waiting for things to get better or worse.

I always thought I'd retire in the Philippines where you could be sure that the economy would go nowhere in the next twenty years. It's certainly a more "interesting" place than Thailand with the resulting reduction in personal safety.

[kojis]

Didn't ask any specific question but retirement was nowhere in my mind. Just early thirties here... way to go...Was talking about relocating to set up a company, wondering about the actual environment in LOS to foreign owned companies and checking if the opinion that it is or would be again more convenient to set up factories in Thailand than China is shared by others on this board. I'm not convinced about this one, but asking.

[Bangkoktraveler]

Might I ask what you want to manufacture? Jewelry perhaps?

[kojis]

Actually I don't intend to manufacture anything nor relocate in Thailand at least in the next couple of years... somehow found my friend's comments fitted behind Elef's and deserved their own thread... kinda didn't make much sense