18 January 2024

Trends in the Recruitment and Job Placement Market in Thailand, October-December 2023

JAC Group, which operates recruiting businesses in 11 countries around the world, has summarized the market trends for recruitment in Thailand, where it has offices, from October to December 2023.

Trends in the Recruitment and Job Placement Market in Thailand, October-December 2023

Thailand: Support Measures for EV Production Decided. Chinese companies are also accelerating their entry into the market

Number of job offers YOY:130%
Number of job openings YOY (past 3 years):

202120222023
Jan - MarApr - JunJul - SepOct - DecJan - MarApr - JunJul - SepOct - DecJan - MarApr - JunJul - SepOct - Dec
143%90%93%90%154%80%143%57%205%82%97%79%

<Market Overview in Thailand>

The National Electric Vehicle Policy Committee, chaired by the Prime Minister of Thailand, has launched the EV3.5 program to boost domestic EV production and investment. This includes subsidies and reduced import tariffs.

While Chinese automakers continue to expand their market share (currently holding the fourth-largest share of battery-powered passenger car registrations in 2023), Japanese automakers are also stepping up their presence. Four key players have pledged an investment of approximately 615 billion yen over the next five years for local EV production.

<Local Hiring Trends among Companies in Thailand>

Many Japanese-affiliated companies have slowed their hiring around the new year, but plan to ramp up in the coming months. While demand for Chinese speakers is rising due to the expansion of Chinese companies, the limited pool of candidates presents a recruitment challenge.
 
Across Southeast Asia, Vietnam is attracting increasing attention, while Thailand remains a target for expansion. The need for local staff in newly established companies is strong, particularly for managerial, administrative, and specialized roles like accounting and IT. However, a widespread shortage of qualified candidates is lengthening the hiring process.

<Job-Seeker Trends in Thailand >

The current economic climate, with a weak yen, is driving more Japanese job seekers to consider overseas opportunities to support their children's education. However, few are exclusively focused on Thailand; it's generally one option among several. To remain competitive in attracting these candidates, companies must make their offers as attractive as possible.

Gavin Henshaw

JAC Recruitment Thailand Managing Director
Gavin Henshaw

■JAC Recruitment Thailand Overview
https://www.jacgroup.com/en/locations/country/thailand

■JAC Recruitment Thailand Website
https://www.jac-recruitment.co.th/

【JAC Recruitment Asia: Job Listing Comparison Report (Previous Quarter and YOY)】

 Change from previous period (Jul.-Sep.)Year-on-year comparison
Singapore91%80%
Malaysia87%99%
Thailand79%130%
Indonesia117%94%
Vietnam91%155%
Korea60%78%
India79%122%
Japan(※)95%100%

*Recruitment related to overseas business of Japanese companies
Note: The number of job openings at Asian companies may increase or decrease depending on the strategies intentionally adopted by the Asian companies (e.g., specializing in jobs with high annual salaries or jobs for specialists). Therefore, increases or decreases in the number of job openings at Asian companies do not directly reflect the performance of each company.

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