According to the World Bank (WB), Thailand will face the biggest shortage of skilled labour in the Asean region.
Kiatanan Ruankaew, deputy director general of Dhurakij Pundit University’s research department, revealed the WB survey results recently, which showed that 83.5 per cent of the workforce in Thailand is unskilled.
This puts Thailand’s skilled workforce at the lowest proportion among other Asean countries, followed by Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines.
The bank blames this on the Thai education system, which has resulted in the country’s lack of competitiveness.
The survey, which was conducted between 2006 and 2009, also shows that only 38.8 per cent of workers are suitable for the job they are doing – once again putting Thailand at the lowest in Asean.
Kiatana explained that the Thai education system failed to provide the right skills to people, resulting in the creation of a workforce that does not match the jobs available. Hence, he said, change is necessary so students can be armed with the right skills to meet employers’ needs.
Source: Thailand faces greatest shortage of skilled labour in Asean: World Bank – The Nation
