Thailand needs to produce 1.6 million skilled workers annually to propel the country into the innovative era dubbed "Thailand 4.0", a new study has found.
The research was jointly conducted by the Quality Learning Foundation (QLF), Dhurakij Pundit University (DPU) and Mahidol University.
Kiatanan Luankeaw, DPU's assistant to the vice-president for research, said Thailand lacks enough skilled workers to help push industries into the latest economic model, which is based on creativity, innovation and high-level services.
Most workers are suited to the nation's former economic models, known as Thailand 2.0 and Thailand 3.0.
The former describes an era when the country started becoming more self-sufficient and waded into light industries such as garments and food processing to serve domestic needs. Thailand 3.0 refers to the time after this when technology helped heavy industries like oil and gas, petrochemicals and steel gain prominence.
Mr Kiatanan said many Thai companies that have embraced high technology still lack manpower armed with the right skills and expertise to handle the required machines or take their business to the international level via online channels.
"We have found there is a shortage of 24 million skilled workers for the era of 4.0, and that has to be filled in 15 years, or about 1.6 million [skilled workers] a year, if we want to transform our economy and escape the 'middle income trap' by 2032," he said.
Mr Kiatanan said there are two ways for Thailand to solve this issue: create a new and more modern workforce or retrain current workers.
"At present, only 14% or 5 million of Thailand's 38-million-strong labour force are skilled workers, while in countries with highly developed economies like Germany, Sweden and Singapore, the equivalent ratio is 48%," he said.
Sumalee Tungpradabkul, a lecturer at Mahidol University's Faculty of Science, said the government needs to change the mindset of parents and students, many of whom have long believed that only through higher education can they climb up the ranks of the country's pyramid-shaped social structure.
"More than 179,000 university graduates are unemployed, while the shortfall of skilled workers has risen continually. They need to understand from when they are in elementary or secondary school that jobs in the future that will not require a four-year degree; rather, employers will care more about having the right skills," she said.
Ms Sumalee said complex problem-solving skills, critical thinking and creativity will become the top three assets workers will need.
With the avalanche of new products, new technologies and new ways of working, people will have to become more creative to benefit, she added.
Moreover, schools and colleges should design their courses to match the needs of each locality and region.
"If we cannot produce skilled workers to meet the demand of the market, the country may have to import more foreign specialists to help usher in Thailand 4.0. But that won't be easy as local professional associations will oppose the idea in order to reserve those professional careers for Thai people," she said.