The requirement for employees to be present in the office is vanishing, meaning the growing trend of "workcations" and rise in the number of digital nomads should be able to help Thailand's tourism industry to bounce back at a quicker rate.
The MBO Partners "State of Independence" report shows there were 15.5 million digital nomads in 2021. The figure represents a 42% increase from 10.9 million in 2020.
Taking advantage of the changing work culture, the Thai government recently approved an economic stimulus and investment promotion package.
These incentives target highly skilled foreign professionals and new digital nomads for five years.
Tourism Authority of Thailand governor Yuthasak Supasorn said many cities across Thailand are considered preferable workcation destinations because of their low living costs and natural attractions.
Mr Yuthasak advised tourism operators and the hospitality sector to prepare for an increase in demand for long-term stays and vehicle rental of 3-9 months.
Businesses in 2022 will prioritise positions that allow them to maintain a remote work model while simultaneously adding value in areas that lead to profits more quickly than others, such as roles in digital marketing, said the Employers' Confederation of Thai Trade and Industry (EconThai).
"Professionals in this area don't need to come into the office, but they can help firms attract new clients online to meet sales targets and can also go out to meet existing partners face-to-face and maintain good relationships," said EconThai vice-chairman Tanit Sorat.
Mr Tanit said the second type of profession in high demand will be IT-related positions because they can access people's computers virtually with permission to offer their assistance, solutions and services.
Other highly skilled roles include those in the manufacturing sector, such as production engineers and quality control inspectors, he said.
According to Mr Tanit, professions deemed "less hot" in the future job market are accountants, customer service assistants and administrative assistants.
The vanishing demand and significance of these roles are attributed to advancements in technology and software that can automate a good portion of their work, he said.