Thailand recruitment insights: preparing for the millennial wave

Across the globe, millennials are estimated to enter the workforce in the next few years and Thailand is no exception to this trend. In Thailand, millennial workers will account for 50% of the total workforce in 2025 compared with 40% of today’s workers, and employers in Thailand will need to prepare for changes in the workforce in order to stay competitive.

Our senior recruitment consultant, Katanchalee Thammasuntorn weighs in on Thai millennials in the recruitment market and shares how employers can prepare their organisation for the entry of this generation of workers.

Which industry do you specialise in recruiting for?

I specialise in the recruitment of mid-to-senior level position within sales, focusing mainly on the industrial sectors including chemicals, building construction material and automation. 

Could you share some perspectives about the Thai recruitment market?

The main challenge that most employers face is a shortage of quality candidates who are a good fit for their organisation. As most millennials are just fresh out of university, they lack leadership skills for mid-to-senior level positions. In addition, there is currently a situation of labour mismatch between universities and the employment market where many educational institutes lack courses and training for the needed skills, including digital literacy, English literacy and functional competencies.

How can an employer locate talents that are the right fit for their organisation in this talent short market?

Employers need to identify key skills required for open roles and find ways to engage with talents, especially millennials, who have an array of technological tools at their disposal to aid them with their job search.

Employers might also need to rank the key job requirements in order of importance due to the talent shortage, understanding which skills are must-haves and which ones can be learnt on the job.

The mismatch between job seekers’ skills and job requirements is currently exacerbated by the lack of industry information and lack of relevant training provided by educational institutes – for example, graduates who have degrees in science are in great demand now, but industry experts estimate that 70% of new graduates hold social sciences degrees.

What are Thai millennials looking for in their prospective employer?

Many Thai millennials are seeking flexibility in the workplace to achieve a better work life balance. While work life balance is generally sought after by employees across the board, Thai millennials demand it most from their employees. Millennials are accustomed to being connected all the time, and are looking for more inspiring options when working, through flexible arrangements such as freelance and part time roles as well as being able to work from anywhere, as seen from the surge in demand for co-working spaces, short-term offices or drop-in centres over the years.

Do you think the recruitment market might change in years to come?

This demand for flexibility means that millennials are willing to change their jobs more often and stay in jobs for a shorter period of time, hastening the speed of employee turnover in the Thai recruitment market.

What is the recruitment outlook for the next 1-2 years?

Candidates with international exposure, good command of English or an additional language, such as Mandarin and Japanese will have an edge over their peers.

The Thai government has also highlighted ten industries that they will be focusing on to increase industrial growth. With government policies in place and businesses gearing themselves for these changes, I believe there will be an increase in open job positions across these 10 S-curve industries.

Do you have any interesting experience working with millennials?

I once worked with a candidate who has already worked in a regional and management position at the age of 28 years old, and who manages a sales team of four. I saw a lot of potential in him to excel in his career, and I’m sure there will be more candidates like him when the talent market matures.

Are you an employer looking for the perfect candidate? Michael Page has been bringing job seekers and employers together for more than 40 years, and we can help you facilitate a successful match by placing the right candidates for your open roles. Learn more about our areas of recruitment expertise.