Although hiring activities dipped 37% during 2020, 33% of companies in Thailand now say they will increase their workforce in 2021 while 32% plan to maintain their current staffing levels, according to a survey by recruitment firm Michael Page Thailand.
According to the report, 67% of employed technology professionals in Thailand anticipate looking for new opportunities in 2021, while another 31% are passively open to new ones, suggesting increased employment activity.
"Like other markets in the region, Thailand's technology sector stayed afloat and resilient, particularly for e-commerce and other internet-based businesses," said Kristoffer Paludan, regional director of Michael Page Thailand.
"Food production, too, proved to be a bright spot, which in turn carried other associated industries, such as chemical, agriculture, as well as agri-tech."
In view of the economic demands, the sectors earmarked for greatest amount of hiring activity are industrial/manufacturing, fast-moving consumer goods, technology and telecom, healthcare/pharmaceutical as well as retail.
"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," said Mr Paludan.
In 2021, 42% of companies in Thailand cited their continued investment in employees by providing training to upskill their workforces while 46% turned to the use of automation for basic processes.
The report says the pandemic served to hasten the adoption of digitisation. Over the course of the year, firms in Thailand have adapted to digitisation demands within short timeframes. Technologies like virtualisation and cloud access have allowed many businesses to get as close to 'business as usual' as possible. Some 40% of the study's respondents claimed they carried out extensive research on a company before applying for a job with it.