Bangkok  - Failing US automotive giant General Motors laid off 790 of its 3,000 labour force in Thailand, where orders for its vehicles plummeted 56 per cent last month, media reports said Wednesday.

The axing of 790 jobs followed GM Thailand's closure of its local assembly plant for two months to avoid an inventory buildup as export orders fell off.

GM is one of 15 international automobile makers with assembly and manufacturing plants in Thailand to supply the domestic and export markets.

Several Japanese automotive companies in Thailand have been forced to lay off part-time workers in recent months because of the global economic slowdown, but GM Thailand was one of the first carmakers to cut full-time jobs.

Of the 790 laid-off workers, 700 had opted for a voluntary early retirement programme and the remaining 90 were forced to quit, the Bangkok Post reported. (dpa)