FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
nationthailand

AEC, global woes changing job trends

AEC, global woes changing job trends

Economic integration in Asean and the global crisis are introducing a new employment trend to Southeast Asia, according to Adecco Thailand.

The job-consulting firm expects to see higher demand for operating-level workers and executive-level talent in Asia after investment inflows to the region in light of financial troubles in Europe.

It also foresees higher relocation of executives within these countries to new markets such as Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, Indonesia and Cambodia.

"Thailand will also witness higher demand for operating officers, and there will also be a talent shortage," Tidarat Kanchanawat, regional |director for Thailand and Vietnam |at Adecco Group Thailand, said yesterday.

"Companies are in search of talent or highly skilled labour to fill executive levels. This will create a candidate-driven market, where talents set their own terms rather than employers," Tidarat said.

A shorter turnover period is also anticipated in the region as younger people enter the labour market. These workers, looking for new challenges, could change jobs every two or three years.

The Asean Economic Community in 2015 will also spark free labour movement within the region, which could lead to shortages in seven professions – physicians, nurses, dentists, accountants, engineers, architects and surveyors – in some countries, Tidarat said.

"It will depend on each country in the region to come up with a strategy to keep talent in the areas, to minimise the impacts," she said.

Labour-intensive industries in Thailand are also expected to suffer from the tight labour market and higher wages. They will have to resort to hiring foreigners or replacing workers with machinery, or relocating to countries with cheaper labour such as Myanmar, Laos, China and Vietnam.

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