Thailand ranks third out of 19 countries in workplace digital skill readiness according to a survey by Salesforce, a global customer relationship management service provider, with slightly more than half of respondents in the country feeling prepared.
According to Salesforce's Global Digital Skills Index, Thailand attained a score of 48 out of 100, behind only India with a score of 63 and Brazil at 53. The global average was 33.
The index gauged the opinions of 23,000 workers in 19 countries, including 1,400 respondents from Thailand, about their readiness to acquire key digital skills needed for business today and over the next five years.
Some 51% of Thai respondents said they were equipped with workplace digital skills, compared with 40% of global respondents.
Some 39% of Thai respondents said they were actively learning and training with digital skills now, and 43% believe they will do so in the next five years.
Asked whether they had the resources to learn digital skills, 42% said they do now and 48% believe they would over the next five years.
"Thailand demonstrates strong confidence in workplace digital skills readiness with a leading index score and a higher level of preparedness and readiness than the global average," said Kittipong Asawapichayon, area vice-president and managing director of Salesforce Thailand.
Businesses need to continue to empower their employees to learn and harness the digital skills needed in order to support growing digital demands and equip them for the future of work, he said.
Respondents in emerging nations such as Thailand, India, Mexico and Brazil are more confident than those in developed nations about their digital future, said Mr Kittipong.
Some 76% of respondents in India feel they are currently equipped for a digital skills-led workplace, and 69% are actively learning new digital skills.
According to the index, encryption and cybersecurity are viewed as the most important skills needed by business for Thai respondents, followed by e-commerce and digital trade, digital administrative, digital marketing and collaborative technology.
The index shows younger respondents have greater confidence and ambition to learn new skills, with over one-third of Gen Z actively learning and training for skills needed over the next five years, compared with 12% of Baby Boomers.
To enhance workforce development, Salesforce offers the free online learning platform Trailhead for people wishing to enhance their digital work skills.
In Thailand, the company worked with the Digital Economy Promotion Agency to launch the "Salesforce Depa Career Kickstarter" programme, aimed at levelling up digital skills for potential students, in November last year.
