Onset of 3G, higher purchasing power to boost labour market: JobsDB
JobsDB, Asia's leading job portal provider, sees growth in the labour market this year due to increased Internet penetration resulting from third-generation mobile connectivity and rising purchasing power of middle-income earners.
“Thailand [has] the second-largest labour market in Asia after Hong Kong. The rest includes Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines [and] Singapore. While those key markets enjoy double-digit growth, Thailand also sees a significant increase in job-seekers,” chief executive officer Adrian Chng said yesterday.
The Thai market could rank as No 1 in the region in the near future for several reasons. The size of its labour market is constantly expanding thanks to economic growth in line with new foreign investment, while middle-income workers will become high purchasing powers and need to change their jobs for better life and income.
And the full launch of 3G mobile connectivity and more advanced technology this year will help increase the penetration of mobile Internet.
The company’s latest surveys in six markets found that both men and women in their economically active years across all age groups were constantly on the lookout for new career opportunities, even if they had just started a job or were already settled into one.
A focus-group survey found that 35 per cent of Thai job-seekers were actively searching for new employment and 48 per cent of those surveyed were exploring and visiting JobsDB’s site frequently, from once a week to a few times a day.
Job-seekers are also exploring at any time, particularly during transit time, thanks to mobile-technology advancements. They stay connected around the clock, updating their resumes through online portals and opting to receive alerts via their mobile devices or e-mail.
After introducing a mobile application for job-seekers last year, JobsDB expects that users through mobile sites and apps will be half of total visits, increasing from 30 per cent now.
The company is launching a rebranding campaign with refreshed brand identity, website, mobile site and mobile app.
Noppawan Chulakanista, managing director of JobsDB Thailand, said her company hoped that the change could help the brand and products branch out into all segments, particularly first-jobbers, who tend to be early adopters of technology.
