Hiring Part-Time and Daily-Paid Staff in Thailand: What Employers Need to Know

Part-time and daily-paid workers are employees too

Many shops assume that a short or daily engagement can be ended on any day without further steps. In fact, even if the shop simply messages that there is no need to come in tomorrow, it still has to pay the worker wages in place of advance notice, for at least one pay period, and it must pay all outstanding wages within 3 days of the day the worker is let go.

The only real difference between part-time or daily-paid staff and full-time staff is how pay is calculated, by the hour or by the day. The worker's basic rights are all there, and they come with the job itself, even when there is not a single sheet of paper. So a written contract does not create extra rights. What it does is let you settle, from day one, the details the law leaves open to agreement, such as pay for rest days, the work schedule, and the pay cycle.

Basic rights to know before you hire

The points below apply to part-time and daily-paid staff just as they do to full-time staff. Go through them before the first working day.

1. Pay per hour or per day must not fall below the minimum wage of the province where the shop is located, and wages must be paid at least once a month.
2. Normal working time is no more than 8 hours a day, and a worker who has worked continuously for 5 hours must get a rest of at least 1 hour.
3. Daily-paid and hourly workers are not paid for the weekly rest day unless that has been agreed. Write it down clearly at the start so there is no argument at month end.
4. Overtime requires the worker's consent every time, and must be paid at no less than 1.5 times the hourly rate.
5. Sick leave can be taken for as long as the illness actually lasts, with pay for up to 30 working days a year. Maternity leave under the new rules in force from 7 December 2025 is 120 days, with the employer paying wages for up to 60 days.
6. The shop must also register the worker for social security, even if the person is only part-time.
7. The probation period counts as length of service. If you want to let someone go during probation, you still have to give notice or pay in place of notice, as in any other case.
8. If a worker has worked 120 days and is dismissed without having done anything wrong, the worker is entitled to severance based on length of service. A fixed-term contract that ends and is not renewed counts too, except for certain types of work that the law sets out.

Small shops most often overlook social security registration, the fact that a probation period counts towards length of service, and severance once someone has worked 120 days, because part-time work feels temporary. Those three deserve an extra check.

What to put in the employment contract

A part-time contract does not need to be long, but it should cover the following so both sides share the same understanding before work starts.

1. Details of employer and worker: names, addresses, and national ID numbers. If the employer is a company, give the company name and the authorised signatory.
2. The job, the place of work, the work schedule, start and finish times, and rest breaks.
3. The hourly or daily rate, the pay cycle, and how payment is made.
4. Whether the weekly rest day is paid or unpaid.
5. Overtime: that consent is asked for every time, and the rate that will be paid.
6. Sick leave and the other leave the law provides for.
7. Whether the job is fixed-term or open-ended. If fixed-term, state the start and end dates, and whether there is a probation period.
8. How the job can end, the notice to be given, and the serious grounds that allow dismissal without severance.

Once it is done, each side should keep a signed copy, and the shop should also keep records of hours worked and proof of wage payments. Those are the records that actually help if a pay dispute comes up later.

Ending the job properly

For an open-ended job, dismissal requires advance notice of at least one pay period, or wages paid in place of notice, and all outstanding wages must be paid within 3 days of the day the worker leaves. This applies to part-time staff exactly as it does to full-time staff.

If the worker has worked 120 days and is dismissed without fault, the shop owes severance based on length of service. That includes a fixed-term contract that runs out and is not renewed, except for certain types of work the law sets out.

One more thing to watch is dismissal for serious misconduct, such as dishonesty or abandoning work for three working days in a row without good reason. The shop owes no severance in that case, but it must state the ground in the dismissal letter from the start. A ground that was not written down cannot be raised later.

Common mistakes when hiring part-time staff

Most mistakes come from assuming that small jobs need no paperwork and no formal steps. Compare your own practice against this list.

1. Agreeing by word of mouth or chat with no summary document, so nobody can prove later what was agreed.
2. Ending the job with a short message and no pay in place of advance notice.
3. Never settling whether the weekly rest day is paid, then arguing about it at month end.
4. Asking for overtime without consent, or paying less than 1.5 times.
5. Skipping social security registration because the job is seen as temporary.
6. Leaving the serious ground out of the dismissal letter, so it cannot be relied on afterwards.

Every item here is avoidable by agreeing in writing before the first working day and following the proper steps when the job ends.

Making a part-time or daily-paid contract on Kontrax

Kontrax has a part-time and daily-paid employment template drafted by lawyers. It states the points above plainly, including the work schedule, pay rate, pay cycle, leave, and ending the job. You choose between a fixed-term and an open-ended engagement.

Both sides can sign online with an SMS one-time code and keep the signed PDF. If pay or schedule needs to change later, you record it as an amendment (สัญญาแก้ไขเพิ่มเติม) on the platform, and when the term ends you can renew with a renewal letter (หนังสือต่ออายุสัญญา). Companies can draft in the company's name with Team Pass. Your first contract is free, with no credit card needed.

Sign up free and create your first contract today

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