Job search platform JobsDB said Thailand could see double-digit growth in the employment rate this year, as the country reopens and recovers economically.
According to JobsDB, professionals and experts in IT, engineering, digital marketing and those with skill sets to support the metaverse creation are in short supply despite higher salaries. Therefore, such professions will be more in demand and workers in such areas could receive incentives.
The company said hybrid working is a key incentive to help employers retain employees and avoid mass resignations.
Duangporn Promon, managing director of JobsDB Recruitment (Thailand), said the firm predicted that the Thai employment rate would expand by double digits this year, following the government’s decision to ease its strict pandemic restrictions. Depending on the industry, we anticipate a surge of 20–50%, she added.
IT professionals have seen increased demand since the pandemic began, and the trend is expected to continue due to digital transformation, Ms. Duangporn explained. The workers most sought after by IT companies are software developers, programmers, data scientists and analysts.
Tech firms are also looking for experts with skills in IT infrastructure, cloud operations, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.
“Demand for digital marketers and people with skills that can support the metaverse is also on the rise,” Ms. Duangporn said.
IT was the profession with the highest percentage of organizations reporting a wage increase, reported by 41% of firms. These numbers showed a comparison between the first nine months of 2021 and the same time in 2020.
Sales customer service and marketing came in second, with 40%, followed by education and training (40%), health and beauty (39%), and administration (38%), she added.
According to Ms. Duangporn, challenging work and hybrid work practices are important recruiting tools. She also said huge conglomerates in Thailand are following remote work trends, which have been embraced in the US and Singapore to reduce resignations.
While startups are not expected to see an increase in layoffs, some large companies have experienced mass resignations, including e-marketplace Shopee, which pursued redundancies in Asean markets.
Ms. Duangporn stated that companies should seek more revenue to increase employee wages amid inflation, helping them cope with higher costs.
JobsDB also showed the results of a labor market outlook survey for 2022. The report, based on job postings and job application data, found that the computing and IT industry was the top sector for job postings on its online platform in 2021.
The sector had 11.3 percent of job openings, followed by retail and trade with 10.8 percent by banking and finance with 8.4 percent.
Sales, customer service, and business development attracted 14.3 percent of all applications, followed by marketing and public relations with 11.7 percent.
