Thai employers rank English as a business-critical skill in the AI age
Thai employers view English proficiency as a vital corporate skill as AI, global collaboration and international growth reshape the modern workplace.
- A global survey found 97% of Thai HR executives believe English skills are important for organizational success, significantly higher than the 90% global average.
- The increased importance of English is driven by the adoption of AI and rising international collaboration, as proficiency helps employees use new technologies effectively and communicate across borders.
- In response, Thai companies are heavily integrating English assessments into talent management, with 80% using them for recruitment and 70% for promotion decisions.
- A vast majority (95%) of Thai employers believe a lack of English proficiency puts their organization at a competitive disadvantage.
Thailand’s corporate world is entering a new phase, with English proficiency increasingly viewed not as a soft skill, but as a strategic business asset. As companies adopt artificial intelligence and work more closely with international partners, language ability is moving to the centre of competitiveness, productivity and long-term growth.
That shift is reflected in the TOEIC Global English Skills Report, released on March 9 by Educational Testing Service (ETS). Based on a survey of more than 1,300 human resources executives across 17 countries, the report found that English has become a core workplace capability in the modern economy.
Thailand stands out in the findings. Some 97% of Thai HR respondents said English skills were important to organisational success, compared with a global average of 90%. Meanwhile, 95% said English had become more important than it was five years ago, above the global figure of 92%.
The figures suggest that Thai employers are increasingly aware of how language skills affect business performance. Some 95% said a lack of English proficiency could put organisations at a competitive disadvantage, compared with a global average of 86%. A further 88% said rising international collaboration had made English even more necessary.
This recognition is also changing how Thai companies assess talent. In Thailand, 80% of organisations use English assessments in recruitment and screening, while another 80% use them before training. A further 70% use English proficiency to assess readiness for promotion.
Ratnesh Jha, Global General Manager of Institutional Products at ETS, said AI alone could not close the skills gap. “AI does not close the skills gap; people do,” he said, adding that English had become a core skill that allows workers to communicate across borders, collaborate effectively and use AI tools to their full potential.
For Thailand, this marks an important step in workforce development. Companies that measure and strengthen language skills are more likely to see gains in growth, competitiveness, employee productivity and talent development.
As AI reshapes daily work, Thailand’s business sector is showing that technology and human skills must advance together. The country’s next corporate advantage may not come from machines alone, but from people who can use them confidently, lead across borders and speak the language of global opportunity.
