The Digital Industry Sentiment Index in the second quarter declined to 52.4, from 54.1 in the previous quarter, which was attributed to people's weaker purchasing power and the delay in state budget disbursement.
Political worries were also a concern, including external factors such as higher oil prices, which hiked production costs and affected overall employment, according to a Digital Economy Promotion Agency (Depa) survey.
On the other hand, the number of tourists continues to expand, due to the government's stimulus packages and tax incentives, while investment in data centres and the cloud has increased, in line with the government's policy of supporting foreign cloud operators' investments.
The entrepreneurs expect the government to facilitate financial resource access, encourage business matching, build integrated databases for the public, and encourage the adoption of and investment in digital technologies, according to the survey.
However, the index remained above the threshold of 50 points.
The survey was conducted in five sub-industries: hardware and smart devices, software, digital services, digital content, and telecommunications.
Depa chief executive Nuttapon Nimmanphatcharin said entrepreneurs remain concerned about access to financial resources and rising production costs, particularly those associated with imported raw materials and oil.
The survey results also showed that three industries had index values higher than 50: hardware and smart devices at 53.0, software at 52.8, and digital services at 54.0. Two industries had index values lower than 50: digital content at 48.5 and telecommunications at 49.5.
Thai digital entrepreneurs hope the government will adjust its strategies for promoting the digital industry by providing clear guidance on funding opportunities and building integrated databases for the benefit of the public sector and citizens, according to the survey.