About work & career

Unlike the past, working for many companies to gain work experience is more & more common in Thailand.

Download and read the report on changing career strategies discussed in the article here.

Photo of the sort of briefcase carried by professionals such as lawyers or accountants and brought to job interviews (Source: Wikipedia).

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Thais favour changing jobs to advance

4/10/2012

Just over half the Thai respondents to a workforce survey believe that the best way to develop their skills and advance their career is by changing employers, the Kelly Global Workforce Index reports.

The survey involved about 170,000 people in 30 countries, including Thailand. It examined issues of job mobility and career progression as part of a shift to a more autonomous and empowered workforce.

The survey reflects a changing attitude from workers, with more seeking to gain new experience and skills with multiple employers, the report said.

The trend in Thailand is the same as the global trend, in which exactly 53% of respondents favoured changing employers as the best way to advance their career.

Wanna Assavakarint, managing director of Kelly Services Thailand, said 81% of respondents in Thailand were of the view that multiple employers was definitely an asset in their career development, higher than the global average of 70%.

More than a third (35%) said they actively look for a new job, even when happy in their current one.

Three-quarters of Thai respondents believed that if they changed jobs, they would be in a good bargaining position to secure a similar or better position.

"Employers face the reality that even happy workers are actively planning for the next step in their career and that many workers are seeing the advantages of wider employment experiences with a more diverse range of organisations," Ms Wanna said.

She added that employers need to consider ways to improve their development and promotional programmes so that employees think twice before switching employers.

(Source: Bangkok Post, Thais favour changing jobs to advance, 4/10/2012, link)

 
Career Vocabulary

career - the series of related jobs that you spend your work life doing  (See Wikipedia)

development - the gradual growth and formation of something
career development -

advance - go forward to higher and better position or work
advance their career
advance in job

career progression - the jobs in a company that a person passes through during their career (life working at company)

employers - companies that hire workers
advance their career is by changing employers

favour - to like one thing more than another
Thais favour changing jobs to advance

workforce - all the people in an area or country available for work, all the people who work for a company แรงงาน
Global Workforce Index

survey - gathering information about what people think about different subjects (public opionion) by asking large numbers of people questions and counting their answers, and then using statistics, graphs, and tables to present results (See Wikipedia) การสำรวจความเห็น 

respondents - people who answer questions in a survey (and provide information)
exactly 53% of respondents favoured changing employers

respondents to a workforce survey

skills - a type of work or task requiring special training and knowledge ทักษะ ความสามารถเฉพาะทาง
develop their skills

Just over half the Thai respondents to a workforce survey believe that the best way to develop their skills and advance their career is by changing employers, the Kelly Global Workforce Index reports.

issues - an important subect that people are discussing and debating about  ประเด็น
examine issues - look closely at issues (to understand them better)

mobility - when people can move from place to place easily
job mobility - when people can move from one job to another job easily

autonomous - independent and having the power to make your own decisions ซึ่งปกครองตนเอ
autonomous workforce

empowered - given the legal power to do something
empowered workforce

shift - to change, transfer, move from one place to another เคลื่อนย้าย
a shift to a more autonomous and empowered workforce

The survey involved about 170,000 people in 30 countries, including Thailand. It examined issues of job mobility and career progression as part of a shift to a more autonomous and empowered workforce.

attitude - the way you think and feel about something, as shown in behaviour
changing attitude
the changing attitude of workers

reflects - shows
the survey reflects a changing attitude from workers

The survey reflects a changing attitude from workers, with more seeking to gain new experience and skills with multiple employers, the report said.

trend - a gradual change or development that produces a particular result ทิศทาง แนวโน้ม
global - throughout the world ; all over the world, including the whole world ทั่วโลก  ทั้งโลก
global trend

the trend in Thailand is the same as the global trend

asset - 1. something good that you have that helps you in life or work (example: her beautiful hair is a real asset in her modelling career) ; 2. something owned by a person, company etc., particularly money and property ทรัพย์สิน
X is asset in Y  

the view that multiple employers was definitely an asset in their career development

current - of the present time ปัจจุบัน
current job
happy in their current job

actively
actively look for a new job

The trend in Thailand is the same as the global trend, in which exactly 53% of respondents favoured changing employers as the best way to advance their career. Wanna Assavakarint, managing director of Kelly Services Thailand, said 81% of respondents in Thailand were of the view that multiple employers was definitely an asset in their career development, higher than the global average of 70%. More than a third (35%) said they actively look for a new job, even when happy in their current one.

bargaining - try to get a better deal from someone (for example, a better price for something you want to buy)
in a good bargaining position - meaning that you are better able to get what what you want when bargaining for someting 

secure - to get or achieve something ได้มาซึ่ง เพื่อเป็นประกันว่า
secure a similar or better position

Three-quarters of Thai respondents believed that if they changed jobs, they would be in a good bargaining position to secure a similar or better position.

reality - what is actually happening in the world ความเป็นจริง
face the reality that ...

employment - having a paid job
employment experiences
wider employment experiences

advantage - something that makes you better able to do something than other people (example: his long hands were an advantage in playign the guitar)
advantages of wider employment experiences
seeing the advantages of wider employment experiences

range - a number of different things that are of the same general type ขอบข่าย, ประเภท
a range of organisations

diverse range - a variety, many different kinds or types
a diverse range of organisations
a more diverse range of organisations

"Employers face the reality that even happy workers are actively planning for the next step in their career and that many workers are seeing the advantages of wider employment experiences with a more diverse range of organisations," Ms Wanna said.

employee development - training employees giving them new skills (for example, with management skills needed for higher positions)
employee promotion - when an employee is moved to a better position (as reward for good performance)

promotion (noun) - when an employee is given a higher position in an organizations (as a reward for good work)
promotional (adjective)

improve - to make better ทำให้ดีขึ้น
improve their development and promotional programmes

switch - change
switch employers - change jobs
think twice before switching employers

She added that employers need to consider ways to improve their development and promotional programmes so that employees think twice before switching employers.