Bangkok--20 Mar--DC Consultants
JobsDB urges all sectors to be better prepared for the increased competition that will be brought on by the establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in 2015. Especially, the Thai workforce is recommended to improve language skills and working skills to turn a crisis into an opportunity. The company is joining forces with over 200 leading partner companies led by Bank of Ayudhya PCL, Kasikornbank Group, Panasonic Management (Thailand) Co., Ltd, Unilever Thai Trading Co., Ltd, PTT Group and many more, to offer over 30,000 quality job vacancies at its 8th edition of Career Exhibition 2012 by JobsDB.com.
The event takes place at the Plenary Hall, Queen Sirikit National Convention Center from March 16 - 18, 2012, featuring e-recruitment solutions using barcodes and career cards to facilitate the job applications of some 80,000 anticipated participants at the event. One of the three-day event’s highlights is the HR Forum on the topic “Be Competent and Good to Impress Your Employer and Be Prepared for the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC)”.
Mrs. Noppawan Chulakanista, General Manager, JobsDB Recruitment (Thailand) Co., Ltd. said the Thai labour market trends this year have seen some improvements as the economy began to recover leading to increasing employment. It is a good time for people to look for a new job as well as for companies looking to hire new staff. While the labour market in the Asia Pacific region is not different from Thailand as the market is varied according to social, economy and political conditions. It is obvious that Myanmar is on its way to becoming one of the most attractive countries in the region that foreign investors show their interest to invest in, thanks to its cheap labour, however mostly unskilled.
“What we have to keep a closer look on is the launch of the ASEAN Economic Community, or AEC, in 2015. The AEC will open up regional labour markets, which will encourage an influx of cheap migrant workers from neighbouring countries into
Thailand. Every country in the region can freely move their production base to wherever, and consume natural resources, raw materials and hire a labour force in that area. Everything will be under the same rule such as product standards and regulations. This means all sectors in Thailand, including the labour force, must be more active and be better prepared for this change,” Mrs. Noppawan said.
She also said that job seekers must be proactive too because there will be free labour mobility in the region. As a result, those who have better potential or more outstanding capabilities will have advantages over the others. Especially those who have diverse skills and capabilities such as language skills, which plays a key role, expertise in specific jobs, good presentations skills, coordination skills, will be considered first by companies wanting to hire new employees.
“The positive part of free labour mobility is that the labour market will be more flexible as investors can move and invest in hiring labour in every country in the ASEAN countries. But the weaknesses of Thai labour are the lack of English language skills, presentation skills, and coordination skills. In particular, those who graduated in IT or engineering are good at calculating and analysing data but lack communications skills. They are not good at presenting. In fact, they should have diverse abilities because businesses nowadays require hiring one who is a multi-tasks taker. Mrs. Noppawan recommended.
“In addition, it is also an opportunity for Thai skilled workers to go abroad and work for higher wages in places such as Singapore. As a result, Thailand may be confronted with skilled labour shortages in the future while, at the same time, it is also an opportunity for immigrant labour to come to work in Thailand as well. This will lead to stiff competition in the labour market. To prevent that challenging situation, we have to start getting better prepared from now on and begin with improving Thai people’s potential along with increasing social welfare.”
To get themselves prepared is the most important thing for job seekers. The first priority for those who are looking for a job in the AEC era is language skills. When Thailand becomes a part in AEC, the English language will be the official language. Andthere are many countries that have an advantage over Thailand in terms of language such as Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines.
“Besides being fluent in foreign languages, job seekers must understand the nature of business that you want to work with. Firstly, you must know what you are good at and what job you really want. Find your strengths and present them. Secondly, know the company you want to work with. What jobs does it want to fill, what industry is the company in, who are the company’s executives, what product does it sell, who are its rivals, what is its market share? Some people may think this information may not be necessary to know. But the more you know about it, the better chance you will get hired by that company.
“Therefore, to make yourself better prepared is the most important method in applying for a job. You must thoroughly read job descriptions and consider whether you want it or not. Think hard about how you might apply your capabilities, skills and knowledge for that job. This is what most Thai job seekers fail to do. They are not prepared well enough for a job,” Mrs. Noppawan concluded.
Mr. Sarun Kungbunpot, Vice-President of recruitment at the Bank of Ayudhya PCL, said Krungsri Group is the leading provider of banking and financial services in Thailand that achieves continued growth and consistently expands its business. Bank of Ayudhya is among its 17 subsidiaries that wants to hire candidates in the positions of Business Development Officer (CSR), Branch Sales & Service Officer (UTL), Credit Officer (Relationship Manager) for SME and Corporate, Credit Analysis and Information Technology officers.
“Our candidates must be equipped with the following qualifications — hold a Bachelor’s Degree or higher and have experience and expertise in a related field. He/she must have qualifications in accord with Krungsri Group values. They are 1. Integrity, 2. Team spirit, 3. Passion for excellence, 4. Customer centricity, and 5. Embracing change,” Mr. Sarun added.
Ms. Kesorn Wangwongwiroj, Deputy Director of Human Resources and Planning Division, Panasonic Management (Thailand) Co., Ltd. said that Panasonic manufacturers and distributes products that cover a wide range of industries. Job positions that they require to fill most are “Engineers” that cover all fields ranging from R&D, Design, Production, Quality Control, Sales & Service and IT. And the establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in 2015 will lead the labour market to witness a highly competitive environment due largely to the free flow of labour in the region. Working in a multinational company with a global network such as Panasonic, one is required to communicate with customers, suppliers, stakeholders in the business.
“Foreign language could play an important role in increasing your chance of getting a new perspective, learning something new, and using this knowledge to create value-added benefits to improve the lives of people around the world through our business activities. Job seekers should develop business skills, communication and foreign language ability concurrently in order to work effectively in the globalisation era,” she said.
Mrs. Duenpen Pawakranond, Senior Vice President Human Resources Management Department, KASIKORNBANK Public Company Limited, said that at Kasikorn Bank Group, they require candidates who graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree or higher in business administration, banking and finance, economics, engineering and other related fields. They should have work experience in financial planning, loans, risk management and sales and service. “We are looking for good and competent people who are able to adapt to our cultural organization — and be customer centric. The ones who can work together as a team, be professional and creative.”
Business partners contributing to the exhibition are led by Bank of Ayudhya PCL, Kasikorn Bank Group, Panasonic Management (Thailand), Unilever Thai Trading and PTT. The sponsors include Prueksa Real Estate PCL, Thai Military Bank PCL, Thai Beverage PCL, Siam City Cement PCL, CIMB Thai Bank PCL, Saint-Gobain Group Thailand, Thai Amadeus Southeast Asia Co., Ltd, Betagro Group, Nestle Thai, Minor Corporation PCL, Loxley Group and Ek-Chai Distribution System Co., Ltd (TescoLotus), Michelin Siam Group and other companies, making a total of 200 key names in Thailand’s employment sector.
In addition, more than 200 companies will have booths at the three-day exhibition, which will also feature a wide range of activities. Experience sharing by HR Managers from leading firms, seminars and training on job interview preparation, HR forums led by JobsDB’s Executives and HR Managers from Bank of Ayudhya PCL, Kasikorn Bank Group, Panasonic Management (Thailand) and Unilever Thai Trading on the topic “Be Competent and Good as Employer Needs in Digital Era and Getting Ready for the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC)” will be included.