in spring 2001 found a total labour force of 10.7 million. Almost 600,000 of those were seasonal labourers between work, and 5.2 percent were unemployed. The remaining 9.5 million were employed as follows: The population is poorly-educated, with 6.4 million over 15 not having completed primary school. Four million have a primary education, 2.2 million secondary, and 829,736 have a university level education (all as of 2001). There is little incentive for better education, as most job vacancies require few or no educational qualifications. Economic migrants Many Isan people have sought work elsewhere. In the first half of the 1990s, 420,000 workers moved elsewhere in Thailand (60 percent of them to Bangkok). Many of the taxicab drivers, shop and factory workers and construction workers in the capital are from Isan. The economic advantages of migrant labour have come at a social cost. While some workers migrate annually, other families are divided, often for many years. The Thai government's National Economic and Social Development Board estimates that remittances from Isan women overseas amount to US$35 million per year, equivalent to six percent of the region's economic output. Researchers estimate that at least 15,000 Isan women are married to foreign men. Rural Isan is a disproportionate supplier of workers to the sex trade, both domestically and abroad. This is partly a legacy of Vietnam-era US bases, but mostly due to the region's poverty. As one researcher summed it up, "The equation looks like this: One working day in a tapioca field pays $8 (300 baht). One working day at a multinational chicken factory pays $11 (400 baht). One working day at a metal factory in Denmark pays $91 (3200 baht), and one busy working day at a Danish brothel pays $450 (15,800 baht)." Sex workers from Isan see prostitution as a way out of poverty. One former sex worker from Maha Sarakham said she entered Bangkok's sex trade at the age of 19 and earned up to 5,000 baht (US$143.14) a night, nearly 20 times the minimum wage of 300 baht (US$8.59) per day. "No one wants to work in this business, but it's fast and easy money," she said. See also Economy of Thailand List of Thai provinces by GPP References Further reading External links Books/Asedp/pdf/066_cap6.pdf Toward a Knowledge-Based Economy: Northeastern Thailand Isan Economy of Thailand Poverty in Thailand