Thailand ’s economy is over the worst of its first recession in a decade and government spending on “shovel-ready” projects will help spur demand and create jobs, according to Korn Chatikavanij, finance minister.

Thailand ’s government began pumping cash into the economy with handouts to the nation’s poorest in April after the global recession led to a collapse in exports, and violent political protests sapped domestic confidence. While the economy isn’t likely to return to growth until the fourth quarter, the central bank has said there are signs the worst is over.

Gross domestic product (GDP) decreased by -7.1% in the first quarter, pushing Thailand into a recession. The economy’s showing a more “moderate contraction,” according to the Bank of Thailand, when it kept borrowing costs at a five-year low of 1.25%, ending its most aggressive string of interest-rate cuts ever.