Hard Hats, Soft Protection. Barriers to accessing social protection schemes for Cambodian migrant workers in the Thai construction sector – a constructivist grounded theory approach

Abstract: Cambodian migrants in the Thai construction sector, work in precarious working environments, with limited safety conditions and low wages. The use of social protection schemes has increased in recent decades, as a method of reducing the vulnerable against poverty and livelihood risks. However, despite the transformative potential of social protection, migrant workers face difficulties in accessing these schemes. Likewise, the knowledge of the barriers that migrant workers face is limited, as there have been few attempts to theorize the barriers that these workers face. Based on semi-structured interviews and focus groups with 25 Cambodian migrant construction workers and four experts, this thesis uses a constructivist grounded theory approach to develop a framework for understanding the barriers that these workers face in accessing social protection schemes in Thailand. This study finds that Cambodian migrant workers face barriers both in enrolling in social protection schemes and in utilizing schemes when they are enrolled. The most common barriers include, lack of information, restrictions on movement, and the acceptance of the current benefits of schemes. The framework created in this study provides a starting point for understanding these barriers, and consequently the steps needed to increase access.