Robert Walters’ Salary Survey 2019 Predicts Digitalisation & Skill-Demands Will Drive Thailand and South East Asia Salaries & Recruitment

PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release

Robert Walters’ Salary Survey 2019 Predicts Digitalisation & Skill-Demands Will Drive Thailand and South East Asia Salaries & Recruitment

Thai Companies Need to Streamline Recruitment to Attract Niche Skills & Business-Savvy Talent in 2019

Bangkok, 22 November 2018 – Robert Walters, a specialist professional recruitment consultancy headquartered in England, with regional offices in Southeast Asia today released its Salary Survey 2019, focusing on Thailand and Southeast Asia. Publicly listed on the London Stock Exchange for over 20 years, the company focuses on mid to senior level management positions, including the C-suite tier. The annual salary survey offers a comprehensive review of professional salaries and illuminates recruitment trends both globally, internationally and locally. The overall picture is of expansion, with competitive salaries for in-demand skills and greater appreciation of talent by employers along with increased demand for local workers with an international background for expanding markets. The key take-away is that companies need to streamline, and in many sectors such as banking, speed-up the recruitment process, highlighting what they have to offer would-be employees in the 2019 skills-driven markets.

A Regional Perspective
Robert Walters’ Salary Survey 2019 is the 20th edition and reveals that Southeast Asia is set to continue its upward trajectory as a buoyant industrial hub, with solid investments from abroad, particularly from China, adding to this momentum and being key drivers to market expansion.

For skilled and experienced professionals in the job pool this is an employees’ market with competition from employers to refine recruitment procedures and invest in retaining talent. The good news for employees is that salaries are set to become more competitive, with greater benefits and improved relationships with employers, as companies demonstrate to successful candidates that they will be key recruits within the company.

As well as individuals with industrial experience covering an expanse of roles across the job market, a big regional driver in 2019 will be due to the impact of the digital era, with Southeast Asia a major player in this sector. The result? High demand for IT skills, particularly in growth areas such as AI, big data and cyber security, as well as individuals with knowledge of technologies and e-commerce capabilities that can be applied to a multitude of disciplines.

Whilst businesses in Southeast Asia are mining local recruits, the Salary Survey 2019 emphasises how companies are increasingly looking for ‘glocal’ employees; locally based staff with international experience as companies expand to other territories. In short, 2019 is expected to be a dynamic year for recruitment regionally, benefitting both businesses and the job market.

The 2019 Outlook for Thailand
Many regional trends are reflected in Thailand, particularly the rise of digital-skill drivers and the demand for internationally experienced local talent, according to Gerrit Bouckaert, Managing Director for Robert Walters Thailand & Vietnam. “An international perspective is being sought from employees in Thailand more than ever, according to the Robert Walters’ Salary Survey 2019, as Thai companies expand regionally and internationally, elevating the need for English-speaking professionals. At the same time, 2019 is going to be the year of digital transformation, fuelling the need for digital talent across the board.”

Thailand’s Eastern Seaboard may continue to find professionals with problem-solving and project-management skills in short supply to channel into mid-to-high-level executive roles. It is predicted this will strengthen salary demands for the right candidates as well as pushing employers to streamline the recruitment process. Employee engagement efforts will become more important along with attracting personnel through positive employer branding as companies seek to leverage social media platforms to boost their reputation in the job market. There is also a greater need in 2019 for businesses to highlight in-company opportunities for promotion and movement. As recruitment is fine-tuned, 2019 could see businesses bring certain roles such as legal positions in-house.

The four main factors determining job satisfaction in 2019 are work-life balance, remuneration, feedback and encouragement from management as well as training and opportunities. The top motivators for switching jobs in 2019 will be the promise of career progression, either a pay rise and/or improved benefits plus a better work-life balance.

Professionals will continue to feel positive in 2019, with 90% feeling confident about job markets in their sectors. Salaries are set to rise for job movers by 15-20% for back-office roles and by 20-30% for front-office positions as well as employees with niche skill sets.

Key Salary Survey 2019 Highlights for Thailand

• Rising demand for financial planners, analysts and business partners as companies automate and streamline key processes.
• Demand for relationship managers in commercial banking with good English-language skills will increase.
• Demand for high-standard driven managers in Thailand’s key export industries and project management roles that apply technologies such as IoT.
• Job-mover 30% pay rise demands will be met with a focus on incentive packages due to limited talent pools.
• HR teams will become more akin to business partners, focused on goals and objectives.
• Legal skills will continue to be brought in-house with more legal counsel roles and demand for quality talent.
• E-commerce platforms boost demand for marketers with digital skills, with more B2B enterprises making Thailand their regional hub.
• Healthcare businesses will increase as Thailand’s reputation as a medical center regionally rises with more demand from an aging population.
• Sales staff in luxury markets will increase while retail will demand professionals with greater digital skills.
• Salaries in some sectors could rise by 40%, particularly in niche supply chain and procurement positions
• There will be a greater focus on integrating big data, blockchain and AI technologies with demand for professionals who can integrate these advancements into business development frameworks.
• Mobile-first strategies are being adopted really pushing up demand and salaries for candidates with these skills, whilst offering IT skills along with an understanding of business strategy.

For more information, please visit www.robertwalters.co.th/

Notes to Editors
1. Robert Walters is one of the world’s leading specialist professional recruitment consultancies and focuses on placing high-calibre professionals into permanent, contract and temporary positions at all levels of seniority. The Thailand business recruits across the accountancy and finance, banking and financial services, general management, engineering, supply chain, procurement & logistics, HR, IT, sales and marketing and technical healthcare fields. Established in 1985, the Group has built a global presence spanning 29 countries and regions.

2. Compiled by our dedicated research division, the Salary Survey is based on an analysis of placements made across our network of offices and specialist disciplines during the course of2018. Now in its 20th year, the Survey is used by employers, HR managers and employees for benchmarking salary levels within their industry.
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