AI skills could boost Thailand workers’ salaries by more than 41%

To better understand emerging AI usage trends and skilling needs in Apac workplaces, AWS commissioned Access Partnership to conduct a regional study, titled “Accelerating AI Skills: Preparing the Asia-Pacific Workforce for Jobs of the Future.” Over 1,600 workers and 500 employers were surveyed in Thailand. 

On top of significant salary bumps, 98% of workers in Thailand expect their AI skills to have a positive impact on their careers, including increased job efficiency, improved job security, and intellectual curiosity. 95% of workers in Thailand indicated an interest in developing AI skills to accelerate their careers, and this interest transcends generations. 93% of Gen Z, 95% of Millennials, and 95% of Gen X workers want to acquire AI skills, while 97% of baby boomers—a demographic usually contemplating retirement—say they would enrol in an AI upskilling course if it was offered. 

The research also found that the productivity payoff from an AI-skilled workforce could be immense for Thailand. Surveyed employers expect their organization’s productivity to increase by 58% as AI technology enhances communication (66%), automates repetitive tasks (65%), and encourages the learning of new skills (60%). Workers believe AI could raise their productivity by as much as 56%.

Thailand organizations go all-in on AI

The speed of AI transformation happening in Thailand is remarkable. 98% of employers envision their companies becoming AI-driven organizations by 2028. While most employers (97%) believe their IT department will be the biggest beneficiary, they also foresee research and development (95%), finance (95%), business operations (94%), sales and marketing (93%), HR (91%), and legal (90%) departments driving significant value from AI too. 

“The AI wave is sweeping across the Asia-Pacific region, including Thailand, transforming the way businesses operate and the way we work. Our research shows that society as a whole will benefit from an increased productivity boost, which will translate into higher salaries for skilled workers in Thailand,” said Abhineet Kaul, Director at Access Partnership. “With a growing number of organizations expected to deepen their use of AI solutions and tools and the continual evolution of AI-driven innovations, there is a need for employers and governments to nurture a proficient workforce capable of steering current and future AI advancements.”

Generative AI—a type of AI that can create new content and ideas quickly, including conversations, stories, images, videos, music, and more—has captured the attention of the general public in the past year, and this technology is already transforming workplaces in Thailand. 98% of surveyed employers and workers expect to use generative AI tools on the job within the next five years, with 74% of employers highlighting ‘increasing innovation and creativity’ as the top benefit, followed by automating repetitive tasks (66%) and supporting learning (62%). 

“Generative AI offers an unprecedented opportunity to transform businesses in Thailand, and this research shows that AI skills are imperative for the future workforce. From financial services to construction and retail, industries are embracing AI at a rapid pace, and the Thai government is driving a national AI strategy, which is why an AI-skilled workforce is essential to unleashing a culture of innovation and driving productivity in Thailand,” said Vatsun Thirapatarapong, AWS Thailand Country Manager. “At AWS, we are helping organizations, such as technology consultancy and AWS Partner DailiTech in Thailand, to upskill their employees to be ready for a future powered by generative AI.” 

“Upskilling our employees in AI and/or generative AI is crucial for our business to harness the transformative potential of these emerging technologies,” said Vit Niennattrakul, Managing Director of DailiTech. “At DailiTech, we have developed a structured methodology in applying generative AI, which can help to accelerate our customers' time to market."

Bridging Thailand’s AI skills gap is mission-critical

The research reveals a looming AI skills gap which must be bridged to ensure Thailand is well-positioned to unlock the full productivity benefits of AI. Hiring AI-skilled talent is a priority for over nine in ten (94%) Thailand employers, of which 64% can’t find the AI talent they need. The research also uncovers a training awareness gap, whereby 89% of employers indicated that they don’t know how to run an AI workforce training program. Meanwhile, 81% of workers said they aren’t sure about relevant career paths where AI skills are useful. 

The research highlights the need for greater collaboration between governments, industries, and educators to help employers across Thailand implement AI training programs and guide workers in matching their AI skill sets to the right roles to harness their newly acquired AI capabilities. 

“This report affirms the power of AI as a driver of business transformation. As businesses continue to harness the power of AI to revolutionize the workplace and as the technology becomes increasingly integrated into our everyday lives, governments have an opportunity to steer progress through smart, forward-looking policies that positively impact the role that AI will play in shaping our shared future,” said Jeff Paine, Managing Director, Asia Internet Coalition.

“In today's rapidly evolving digital landscape, upskilling workers in AI, founded on ethical frameworks and principles, is not just a strategic choice, but a critical imperative for governments and organizations across Asia-Pacific,” said Dr Rupa Chanda, Director of Trade, Investment and Innovation Division, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP). “This report shows that the future of work demands a workforce equipped with AI proficiency to navigate emerging challenges and harness opportunities for sustainable and equitable economic growth and development as well as inclusive innovation.” 

Accelerating digital skills training in Thailand

AWS has trained more than 50,000 people in Thailand on cloud skills since 2017. But with the rapid adoption of cloud-enabled technologies like AI, more needs to be done to upskill the workforce at scale so organizations can innovate and grow in an AI-dominated future.

In November 2023, Amazon launched the ‘AI Ready’ initiative that complements AWS’s commitment to provide free cloud computing skills training to 29 million individuals globally by 2025.  Through ‘AI Ready,’ we now offer a suite of free AI and generative AI training courses, aligned to both technical and non-technical roles, so that anyone can build AI skills. This is in addition to the more than 100 courses and learning resources on AI, machine learning, and generative AI available through AWS Skills Builder and AWS Educate—our digital learning centers for beginners to advanced learners. AWS also announced new generative AI innovations at AWS re: Invent 2023, including Amazon Q—a new generative AI assistant designed for work that can be tailored to businesses.