Bangkok, Thailand – A survey of leading employers in Thailand has identified the challenges businesses face in recruiting mid- to senior-management employees. The July 2018 survey conducted by Criterion Asia Recruitment also revealed employers’ preferred recruitment methods and the skills most lacking in their workforce.
One-fifth (20%) of employers identified information technology support as the most challenging area to recruit mid- to senior-level management in 2018. Other hard-to-fill roles include marketing/promotions (16.7%), operations (13.3%), and research and development (10%).
For a more qualitative assessment of the recruitment picture in Thailand, in-depth interviews were conducted with four executives from different sectors: Robert Kawada (education), Richard Brady Mentis (Talent Services) Lalita Pudsa (marketing) and David Norcross Lexicon (marketing). David Norcross, Managing Director at Lexicon Business Communications, said, “Finding the right person with the right skills for a vacancy is a challenge for every company. When job hunting, it may be wise for candidates to note the roles employers are struggling to fill and by which sector.”
The advice to candidates with the relevant transferrable skills would be to tailor their CVs and prepare themselves for interviews for the respective sectors and organizations. “When looking to fill these more challenging vacancies, employers will consider talented candidates with the right energy and ability to connect with the team and company ethos,” Norcross said.
Criterion Asia Recruitment surveyed chief executive officers, managing directors and human resources managers across every sector through social media and emailing targeted contacts. According to 43.4% of respondents, sales roles are by far the easiest job function to recruit mid- to senior-management employees. Administration and management (10%), human resources (10%), and production (6.7%) are also considered among the easier roles to fill.
When recruiting mid- to senior-level management, the majority of respondents revealed they use recruitment agencies (40%), followed by recruitment websites (30%), referrals from existing staff (20%) and social media (10%). Meanwhile, the attributes employers deemed most difficult to find in their workforce include (in order of ranking): leadership; English language; creativity and problem solving; drive, initiative and self-motivation; planning and organising; self-management; negotiating and persuading; integrity; flexibility; and hard-working.
On a 5-point Likert scale, the respondents rated the overall difficulty in recruiting mid- to senior-level management as follows: very easy – 6.6%, easy – 3.3%, moderate – 13.4%, difficult – 56.7%, and very difficult – 20%. The respondents of the July 2018 survey represented a broad range of industries, ranging from accounting, banking and insurance, to consumer goods, food and beverage, information technology, mining and metals and non-profit organizations.