THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
nationthailand

Foreign language proficiency in high demand

Foreign language proficiency in high demand

COMPANIES are demanding more workers fluent in English and a third language and stand ready to offer them better pay, according to Manpower Group, a human resources consulting company.

Based on statistics for 2014 and 2015, Manpower’s survey showed that the salary of these workers tends to range from Bt5,000 to Bt20,000 – above those who are proficient only in Thai or Thai and English.
Demand for workers with third-language skills has grown by 15 per cent in the past two years.
“Demand also jumped in the first quarter of 2016, showing the continuing trend,” the firm said.
It urged all parties – the government, educators and the private sector – to improve language skills.
This should be highlighted for arts and non-arts students, like engineers, medical doctors and accountants, to ensure that they can apply for jobs at foreign companies.
“Improving the quality of workers would benefit the economy and long-term development,” it noted.
From a survey of its clients, of all third languages, Chinese is in highest demand thanks to skyrocketing Chinese tourist arrivals.
Demand comes mainly from the tourism industry, as Chinese visitors exceeded five million last year.
Japanese ranks second, due to the vast scale of Japanese investment. Demand is high at both low and executive levels.
Spanish is third, used to support investment inflows from Europe and the United States. Those fluent in Spanish are also usually capable in English.
French comes in fourth place, popular among students. Demand for French-speaking workers is high in the translation and hotel businesses.
Korean is next, due to demand from the tourism industry, which is catering to over one million Korean tourists per year.

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