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The Lives of Thai Construction Workers

30 images Created 5 Sep 2013

Thailand, especially Bangkok, has a booming construction industry. Many of the workers in the construction industry are migrant workers, drawn to Bangkok by the lure of high salaries. Most come from Isaan, the impoverished rural region of northeastern Thailand along the Cambodian and Lao borders, but many also come from Cambodia (so many, in fact, that there’s now a shortage of construction workers in Phnom Penh) and some from Myanmar.

Workers have had a difficult time finding affordable housing close to their construction projects, which are frequently in the most expensive parts of town. Many construction firms have built dormitory housing units in vacant lots close to their job sites, others house workers on the site, in leaky corrugated metal huts.

Workers live on the site until it’s nearly finished or their work is done. Then they move on to the next site. It’s a life in motion, powering the expansion of a global metropolis.

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  • 06 SEPTEMBER 2013 - BANGKOK, THAILAND: A worker installs cement forms for walls at a construction site in the Bang Na section of Bangkok near Suvarnabhumi International Airport. The workers are building a four storey apartment building. They will live on the site for approximately one year, until the building is close to opening. They are paid the Thai minimum wage of 300 Baht per day, approximately $10 US. They live on the site rent free and don’t pay to use electricity, both are provided by the project owner.               PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
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  • 20 AUGUST 2013 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  Thai construction workers walk home after a day on the job in Bangkok. Thailand entered a “technical” recession this month after the economy shrank by 0.3% in the second quarter of the year. The 0.3% contraction in gross domestic product between April and June followed a previous fall of 1.7% during the first quarter of 2013. The contraction is being blamed on a drop in demand for exports, a drop in domestic demand and a loss of consumer confidence. At the same time, the value of the Thai Baht against the US Dollar has dropped significantly, from a high of about 28Baht to $1 in April to 32THB to 1USD in August.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
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  • 04 SEPTEMBER 2013 - BANGKOK, THAILAND: Construction workers walk back to their dorms along Soi 22 Sukhumvit Road after their shift at the Bhiraj Tower. The workers are building the Bhiraj Tower, a new office/retail complex under construction on Soi 35 Sukhumvit Road. It will be approximately 45 storeys when completed. The workers live in a complex of corrugated metal dorms about 1 kilometer from the construction site. They walk to and from the site every day.      PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ConstructionWorkersResendAlsoToZUMA0...jpg
  • 18 AUGUST 2013 - BANGKOK, THAILAND: Migrant construction workers from Myanmar (Burma) buy fruit from a Thai fruit vendor on Sukhumvit Soi 16 in Bangkok. They are working a construction site building a new hotel. Bangkok is experiencing a construction boom that is reshaping the city skyline. Most of the construction workers are from the Isan region of northeastern Thailand, but many also come from Laos and Myanmar to work in the Thai construction trade because they can make more than twice as much in Thailand and they can in their countries of origin.       PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
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  • 18 AUGUST 2013 - BANGKOK, THAILAND: Migrant construction workers from Myanmar (Burma) buy fruit from a Thai fruit vendor on Sukhumvit Soi 16 in Bangkok. They are working a construction site building a new hotel. Bangkok is experiencing a construction boom that is reshaping the city skyline. Most of the construction workers are from the Isan region of northeastern Thailand, but many also come from Laos and Myanmar to work in the Thai construction trade because they can make more than twice as much in Thailand and they can in their countries of origin.       PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ConstructionWorkersResendAlsoToZUMA0...jpg
  • 27 AUGUST 2013 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:       A man tends to his bird after an impromptu cockfight at a construction site in Bangkok. This was a practice match to test the birds’ mettle. Their spurs were wrapped and beaks muzzled so they wouldn’t seriously injured. Cockfighting is legal in Thailand but is not seen very often in Bangkok. It’s very popular in the provinces and rural areas, especially north of Bangkok.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
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  • 04 SEPTEMBER 2013 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  Construction workers ride back to the dorms from their job site in a company provided pickup truck in Bangkok. Most of the construction workers in Bangkok are migrants either from the Isan region of northeast Thailand or Cambodia.      PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
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  • 04 SEPTEMBER 2013 - BANGKOK, THAILAND: Construction workers relax at a sidewalk bar and snack stand on Soi 22 Sukhumvit after their shift. The snack stand is on their walk back to the company provided dormitories they live in. The workers are building the Bhiraj Tower, a new office/retail complex under construction on Soi 35 Sukhumvit Road. It will be approximately 45 storeys when completed. The workers live in a complex of corrugated metal dorms about 1 kilometer from the construction site. They walk to and from the site every day.      PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ConstructionWorkersResendAlsoToZUMA0...jpg
  • 31 AUGUST 2013 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:       Workers buy jewelry and Buddhist amulets from a vendor who sets up on a table in front of the workers’ dorm. The workers are building the Bhiraj Tower, a new office/retail complex under construction on Soi 35 Sukhumvit Road. It will be approximately 45 storeys when completed. The workers live in a complex of corrugated metal dorms about 1 kilometer from the construction site. They walk to and from the site every day.  PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ConstructionWorkersResendAlsoToZUMA0...jpg
  • 31 AUGUST 2013 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:       A boy leans against his mother, who is a construction worker, in front of the workers’ dorm they live in on Soi 22 Sukhumvit. The workers are building the Bhiraj Tower, a new office/retail complex under construction on Soi 35 Sukhumvit Road. It will be approximately 45 storeys when completed. The workers live in a complex of corrugated metal dorms about 1 kilometer from the construction site. They walk to and from the site every day.  PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ConstructionWorkersResendAlsoToZUMA0...jpg
  • 31 AUGUST 2013 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:       Construction workers on the balcony of their dorm units on Soi 22 Sukhmvit Rd. The workers are building the Bhiraj Tower, a new office/retail complex under construction on Soi 35 Sukhumvit Road. It will be approximately 45 storeys when completed. The workers live in a complex of corrugated metal dorms about 1 kilometer from the construction site. They walk to and from the site every day.  PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ConstructionWorkersResendAlsoToZUMA0...jpg
  • 31 AUGUST 2013 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:       A construction worker gives a snack to his son while he shares a beer with a coworker in front of their dorm on Soi 22 Sukhumvit Rd. The workers are building the Bhiraj Tower, a new office/retail complex under construction on Soi 35 Sukhumvit Road. It will be approximately 45 storeys when completed. The workers live in a complex of corrugated metal dorms about 1 kilometer from the construction site. They walk to and from the site every day.  PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ConstructionWorkersResendAlsoToZUMA0...jpg
  • 31 AUGUST 2013 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:       A child who lives in construction worker housing on Sukhumvit Soi 22 in front of the complex. The workers are building the Bhiraj Tower, a new office/retail complex under construction on Soi 35 Sukhumvit Road. It will be approximately 45 storeys when completed. The workers live in a complex of corrugated metal dorms about 1 kilometer from the construction site. They walk to and from the site every day.  PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ConstructionWorkersResendAlsoToZUMA0...jpg
  • 31 AUGUST 2013 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:       Workers buy longan fruit from the back of pickup truck in front of housing for construction workers. The workers are building the Bhiraj Tower, a new office/retail complex under construction on Soi 35 Sukhumvit Road. It will be approximately 45 storeys when completed. The workers live in a complex of corrugated metal dorms about 1 kilometer from the construction site. They walk to and from the site every day.  PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ConstructionWorkersResendAlsoToZUMA0...jpg
  • 06 SEPTEMBER 2013 - BANGKOK, THAILAND: A worker at a construction site in the Bang Na section of Bangkok near Suvarnabhumi International Airport. The workers are building a four storey apartment building. They will live on the site for approximately one year, until the building is close to opening. They are paid the Thai minimum wage of 300 Baht per day, approximately $10 US. They live on the site rent free and don’t pay to use electricity, both are provided by the project owner.               PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ConstructionWorkersResendAlsoToZUMA0...jpg
  • 30 AUGUST 2013 - BANGKOK, THAILAND: A woman makes “som-tam” or papaya salad in her hut at a construction site in the Bang Na section of Bangkok near Suvarnabhumi International Airport. She and her husband share a single room while they both work at the site. They are migrant workers originally from the Isan, the rural region of northeast Thailand. The workers are building a four storey apartment building. They will live on the site for approximately one year, until the building is close to opening. They are paid the Thai minimum wage of 300 Baht per day, approximately $10 US.       PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ConstructionWorkersResendAlsoToZUMA0...jpg
  • 30 AUGUST 2013 - BANGKOK, THAILAND: A woman eats dinner by herself with only a desk lamp for light in her hut at a construction site in the Bang Na section of Bangkok near Suvarnabhumi International Airport. The workers are building a four storey apartment building. They will live on the site for approximately one year, until the building is close to opening. They are paid the Thai minimum wage of 300 Baht per day, approximately $10 US.       PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ConstructionWorkersResendAlsoToZUMA0...jpg
  • 30 AUGUST 2013 - BANGKOK, THAILAND: Men eat dinner in front of the mosquito nets they sleep under in their hut at a construction site in the Bang Na section of Bangkok near Suvarnabhumi International Airport. The workers are building a four storey apartment building. They will live on the site for approximately one year, until the building is close to opening. They are paid the Thai minimum wage of 300 Baht per day, approximately $10 US.       PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ConstructionWorkersResendAlsoToZUMA0...jpg
  • 05 SEPTEMBER 2013 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  Cambodian workers pose for a portrait after their shift at the construction site of a new high rise apartment / condominium building on Soi 22 Sukhumvit Rd in Bangkok. The workers live in the corrugated metal dorms on the site. Most of the workers at the site are Cambodian immigrants.             PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ConstructionWorkers0905007.jpg
  • 04 SEPTEMBER 2013 - BANGKOK, THAILAND: Men drink beer and relax at a makeshift bar on the construction site of a new high rise apartment / condominium building on Soi 22 Sukhumvit Rd in Bangkok. Most of the workers at the site are Cambodian immigrants.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ConstructionWorkersResendAlsoToZUMA0...jpg
  • 05 SEPTEMBER 2013 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  A Cambodian carries rebar he recovered to sell back to the corrugated metal dormitory that is worker housing at the construction site of a new high rise apartment / condominium building on Soi 22 Sukhumvit Rd in Bangkok. The workers live in the corrugated metal dorms on the site. Most of the workers at the site are Cambodian immigrants.             PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ConstructionWorkersResendAlsoToZUMA0...jpg
  • 05 SEPTEMBER 2013 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  A Cambodian woman cooks her dinner after her shift on the construction site of a new high rise apartment / condominium building on Soi 22 Sukhumvit Rd in Bangkok. Other residential high rise buildings ring the site. The workers live in the corrugated metal dorms on the site. Most of the workers at the site are Cambodian immigrants.             PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ConstructionWorkersResendAlsoToZUMA0...jpg
  • 05 SEPTEMBER 2013 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  A Cambodian woman hangs her laundry to dry next to the corrugated metal dormitory that is worker housing at the construction site of a new high rise apartment / condominium building on Soi 22 Sukhumvit Rd in Bangkok. The workers live in the corrugated metal dorms on the site. Most of the workers at the site are Cambodian immigrants.             PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ConstructionWorkersResendAlsoToZUMA0...jpg
  • 05 SEPTEMBER 2013 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  Construction workers drink after their shift on a pile of cement water mains they are installing on the construction site of a new high rise apartment / condominium building on Soi 22 Sukhumvit Rd in Bangkok. The workers live in the corrugated metal dorms on the site. Most of the workers at the site are Cambodian immigrants.             PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ConstructionWorkersResendAlsoToZUMA0...jpg
  • 05 SEPTEMBER 2013 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  Cambodian workers pose for a portrait after their shift at the construction site of a new high rise apartment / condominium building on Soi 22 Sukhumvit Rd in Bangkok. The workers live in the corrugated metal dorms on the site. Most of the workers at the site are Cambodian immigrants.             PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ConstructionWorkers0905029.jpg
  • 05 SEPTEMBER 2013 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  A Cambodian worker bathes in a corrugated metal outhouse after their construction shift at the construction site of a new high rise apartment / condominium building on Soi 22 Sukhumvit Rd in Bangkok. The workers live in the corrugated metal dorms on the site. Most of the workers at the site are Cambodian immigrants.             PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ConstructionWorkersResendAlsoToZUMA0...jpg
  • 05 SEPTEMBER 2013 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  A worker cuts lemongrass for his dinner in the makeshift hallway between corrugated metal dormitories that serve as worker housing at the construction site of a new high rise apartment / condominium building on Soi 22 Sukhumvit Rd in Bangkok. The workers live in the corrugated metal dorms on the site. Most of the workers at the site are Cambodian immigrants.             PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ConstructionWorkersResendAlsoToZUMA0...jpg
  • 04 SEPTEMBER 2013 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  Cambodian women who work and live on the construction site of a new high rise apartment / condominium building on Soi 22 Sukhumvit Rd in Bangkok relax after work. The workers live in corrugated metal dorms on the site. Most of the workers at the site are Cambodian immigrants.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ConstructionWorkersResendAlsoToZUMA0...jpg
  • 05 SEPTEMBER 2013 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  A Cambodian gives her son money to buy food at a convenience store near the construction site they live on. They both work at the construction site of a new high rise apartment / condominium building on Soi 22 Sukhumvit Rd in Bangkok. The workers live in the corrugated metal dorms on the site. Most of the workers at the site are Cambodian immigrants.             PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ConstructionWorkersResendAlsoToZUMA0...jpg
  • 06 SEPTEMBER 2013 - BANGKOK, THAILAND: The sun sets at a construction site in the Bang Na section of Bangkok near Suvarnabhumi International Airport. The workers are building a four storey apartment building. They will live on the site for approximately one year, until the building is close to opening. They are paid the Thai minimum wage of 300 Baht per day, approximately $10 US. They live on the site rent free and don’t pay to use electricity, both are provided by the project owner.               PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ConstructionWorkersResendAlsoToZUMA0...jpg
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Jack Kurtz, Photojournalist & Travel Photographer

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