Some 80% of Thai organisations that employ workers with advanced digital skills report higher annual revenue growth, but 94% of organisations are struggling to hire enough of these talents, according to a study by Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Workers in Thailand who use advanced digital skills -- including cloud architecture or software development -- contribute an estimated 930 billion baht to annual GDP. This is attributed to the 57% higher salaries that these workers earn compared with those with a similar education who do not use digital skills at work.
The "Asia Pacific Digital Skills Study: The Economic Benefits of a Tech-Savvy Workforce", commissioned by AWS and conducted by Gallup, examined how building a technology-enabled workforce has significant benefits for individuals, organisations and the economy.
Researchers surveyed 1,296 working adults and 359 employers in Thailand across a variety of public and private-sector organisations and industries.
The study classifies basic digital skills as the ability to use email, word processors, other office productivity software, and social media.
Intermediate digital skills comprise drag-and-drop website design, troubleshooting applications and data analysis.
Advanced digital skills are defined as cloud architecture or maintenance, software or application development, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning.
The study found advanced digital workers in Thailand are benefiting from more than just a boost in their income. Some 89% of workers who use advanced digital skills express high levels of job satisfaction, compared with 58% of those with basic digital skills.
CAREER BOOST
Workers with digital skills also cite career benefits: 93% of Thai workers who completed digital skills training in the past year have experienced at least one positive benefit, such as increased opportunities for promotion.
Similarly, employers that rely heavily on advanced digitally skilled workers, digital and cloud technology reap higher business growth and innovation.
The study found 74% of Thailand-based organisations that run most of their business on the cloud report steady annual revenue growth of 10% or more, compared with 56% of those that run some or none of their business on the cloud.
With many organisations preparing for future hiring challenges, the study looked at 10 emerging technologies including AI, edge and quantum computing, blockchain and cryptocurrency. Roughly 92% of employers in Thailand say at least one of these technologies is likely to become a standard part of their future business operations, with 5G ranking the highest at 75%.
With the digital transformation of businesses and government agencies accelerating around the world, demand for advanced digital workers will remain strong in the coming years.
Some 90% of Thai employers surveyed reported they were seeking to fill openings that require digital skills, but 94% said it is challenging to find the talent they need.
A possible barrier is 56% of Thai organisations prefer a bachelor's degree, even for entry-level IT staff.
However, many are starting to recognise that accepting industry certifications can ease their hiring challenges.
Some 92% of employers say digital certifications or training courses are acceptable substitutes for a bachelor's degree.
THAI PARTNERS
AWS is working with organisations such as King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, the Digital Economy and Society Ministry, the Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation Ministry, and leading companies like CP Foods and Central Group, to help address the digital skills gap.
"AWS has trained more than 700,000 people on cloud skills in Southeast Asia since 2017, and our work doesn't stop here," said Emmanuel Pillai, head of training and certification for Asean at AWS.
"Digital skills drive tremendous gains for individuals, organisations and economies, which is why AWS is committed to expanding our digital skills training programmes for workers and employers across Thailand."
In recent years, AWS has launched various training and certification programmes in Thailand. They include AWS Skill Builder, with more than 600 free on-demand cloud skills courses, including 62 in Thai.
AWS Educate offers hundreds of hours of self-paced training and resources for new cloud learners, and AWS Academy empowers higher education institutions with a free, ready-to-teach cloud computing curriculum that prepares students to pursue industry-recognised certifications and in-demand cloud jobs.
Since announcing its global commitment to invest hundreds of millions of dollars to provide free cloud computing skills training to 29 million people by 2025, AWS has trained more than 13 million people in digital skills.
For more information about AWS's cloud skills training programme, visit AboutAmazon.com/29million