The government must improve education opportunities because high-skilled workers are in short supply in the S-curve industries necessary for the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) scheme, says Thammasat University.
The university is working with the Labour Ministry to figure out the number of labourers needed for 11 targeted industries in the corridor. Their conclusions are expected in a few months.
Under the EEC, the government is promoting and supporting advanced technological development in 11 targeted industries: cars; smart electronics; affluent, medical and wellness tourism; agriculture and biotechnology; food; robotics for industry; logistics and aviation; biofuels and biochemicals; digital; medical services; and defence.
The circular economy concept will soon join the list as the 12th targeted industry.
Asst Prof Supachai Srisuchart, director of Thammasat University's Institute for Continuing Education and Human Resources, said labour demand is focused on high-skilled workers as manufacturers upgrade to more digitisation and automation in the 4.0 era.
"That means the EEC will not depend on labour-intensive operations," he said. "The country is struggling with the labour shortage, which is now the top priority problem that needs to be solved."
Asst Prof Supachai said Thailand is similar to other countries facing a labour crisis, with current labourers and first-jobbers a mismatch for manufacturers' requirements.
"The important duty for the government is to improve the country's education system," he said. "Furthermore, it has to team up with educational institutions and companies to seek improvement and produce new high-skilled workers for the 11 targeted industries, because Thailand needs a large volume of manpower."
Asst Prof Supachai said the new education programme for the EEC should focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics, the so-called STEM fields, because the market is lacking labourers of this type.
Suttipong Suvansook, a human resources expert at the Federation of Thai Industries, said the 4.0 stage began more than 10 years ago in Germany, while Thailand has just picked up the trend in recent years.
"Industry 4.0 has to be improved in line with the new educational programme, as not only Thailand but other countries are developing this stage, so the country must improve all pillars to handle fierce competition at the global level," he said. "Moreover, the government should invest in human capital through the education system and training programmes to improve the new labourers."
