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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-sleeping

 

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. 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

  2. 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

  4. 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

  5. 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

  8. 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

  10. 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

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