65% of Thai firms to maintain or increase employment in 2021: survey
Hiring by companies dipped 37 per cent in 2020 during the first Covid-19 wave but optimism is starting to show, with 33 per cent of firms looking to increase their headcount and 32 per cent saying they would maintain the status quo in 2021, the Talent Trends 2021 Report by professional recruitment services Michael Page Thailand showed on Tuesday.
“Like other markets in the region, Thailand’s technology sector stayed afloat and resilient, particularly for e-commerce and other Internet-based businesses,” regional director Kristoffer Paludan said.
“Food production, too, proved to be a bright spot, which in turn carried other associated industries, such as chemical, agriculture, and agritech.”
In view of the economic demands, the sectors earmarked for highest hiring are industrial/manufacturing, fast moving consumer goods, technology & telecommunications, healthcare/pharmaceutical and retail.
According to the report, Covid-19 has also served to hasten adoption of digitisation. Over the course of the year, companies in Thailand have adapted to digitisation demands “within impressively short time frames”. Technologies such as virtualisation and cloud access have allowed many businesses to get as close to business as usual as possible.
The report also said 67 per cent of employed technology professionals in Thailand anticipated looking for new opportunities in 2021, while another 31 per cent are passively open to new ones, suggesting increased employment activity.
Considering the competition for high-potential tech professionals, Paludan advises: “Candidates move jobs primarily due to the dynamic nature of the business, which is constantly adapting to changing market demands and practices. These are agile organisations that provide a steep learning curve and the opportunity for regional mandates in the medium-to-long term.”
As a viable option to bridge skill gaps arising from their move to recover in 2021, 42 per cent of companies in Thailand cited their continued investment in employees by providing training to upskill the workforce, while 46 per cent turned to the use of automation for basic processes.
Thai professionals have also been empowered with the wealth of information available to them when considering a new job offer. Some 40 per cent of the study’s respondents claimed they did extensive research on the company before applying for a job.