BANGKOK, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's labor market continued to decline in the final quarter of 2025, driven by contraction in agricultural employment, largely due to major floods and the farming off-season, official data showed on Monday.

The Southeast Asian country's labor force shrank 0.9 percent year-on-year to 39.8 million individuals in the October-December period, accelerating from a 0.5 percent drop in the previous quarter, according to the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC).

Employment in the farm sector fell 3.4 percent, while non-farm sectors grew 0.2 percent, led by the transportation and storage sector and the manufacturing sector, the state planning agency said in a statement.

The nation's overall unemployment rate stood at 0.7 percent in the fourth quarter, representing around 280,000 unemployed individuals, down from 0.88 percent in the same period a year earlier, said NESDC secretary-general Danucha Pichayanan.

Looking ahead, he emphasized the need to address job security concerns posed by the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), noting that clear and fair guidelines for AI usage should be established while investing in digital and AI skill enhancement for workers at all levels. ■