Graduates need to widen range of skills as job market tightens EMPLOYMENT

Graduates need to widen range of skills
English and computer skills are basic essentials for graduates
By Cholada Ingsrisawang
Bangkok Post, June 12, 2000

Jiroj Thana-anekcharoen is a typical 18 year old. His future isn't measured in years or decades, but rather weeks and months.
"I can't really say if I'm afraid of not having work once I graduate," the Chulalongkorn University engineering student says. "I've only finished one year, and haven't even picked my major. Probably industrial engineering, or maybe chemical engineering. But as far as a job goes, I'll start thinking about it in two or three years." But Mr Jiroj isn't unaware of the statistics. The economic crisis has left thousands of new graduates without work, even in top fields such as engineering.

According to the most recent statistics, only 39% of engineering graduates found work after graduation in 1998, compared with 67% the year before. "Once I finish, I might study further for an MBA," Mr Jiroj muses. "Just a bachelor's degree won't be enough in the future. You have to have more than this."
Many leading academics and executives agree. Changes in the industrial base and the growing influence of information technology will make the job market more competitive than ever in the coming decade, experts say. Dr Thienchay Kiranandana, the former President of Chulalongkorn University, says two skills which will become crucial in tomorrow's job market will be English and basic computer knowledge.

Demand for increased specialisation will place greater premiums on applicants with graduate and doctorate degrees. At the undergraduate level, students will have to broaden their knowledge base to make themselves more attractive to employers. A law student, for instance, should take a minor in a related field, such as economics, accounting or international trade, Dr Thienchay Kiranandana said. "In the next 3-5 years, the job market won't change that much. But within ten years, we'll see large changes in the public and private sectors," he said. Productivity gains will see increased downsizing of firms, coinciding with the development of new professions. The Internet, for instance, has led to a surge in demand for computer programmers, web page designers and network engineers.

But Nimit Nontapunthawat, executive vice-president at Bangkok Bank, says while IT will play a growing role in the global economy, demand for a broad range of professions in Thailand is unexpected to abate soon. Demand for statisticians and economists, for instance, will grow as firms seek people to help sift trends from the mass of information available online. New accounting standards, growing international trade and the increased complexity of business transactions will also keep demand for accountants, auditors and lawyers steady. Biotechnology and e-marketing will also be key fields in tomorrow's economy.

On the other hand, messengers, typists and clerical workers can expect to see jobs shrink steadily as electronic commerce and transactions grow. Small and medium-sized enterprises will play a larger role in the business sector, says Sataporn Jinachitra, senior executive vice-president of Siam Commercial Bank. Self-employed workers and entrepreneurs will also shine brighter, helping absorb new graduates emerging from the university system. Mr Sataporn says banks and financial institutions, for instance, will demand higher qualifications and skills from new recruits. Specialisation and supplementary skills, whether in languages or computers, will be key for distinguishing successful applicants from the rest of the pack. "For staff unable to show expertise or ability in specific fields, it will be difficult to progress in the future," Mr Sataporn says. Industrial and agricultural firms, as well as services, will be transformed by the introduction of new technologies and machinery.

Successful farmers will be those armed with the analytical and marketing skills to allow for accurate forecasting of market trends, crop management and budgeting.

But one open question is whether Thailand's educational policies have sufficiently adapted to meet the demands of the future. Teaching methods remain woefully out-of-date with employer needs, critics say, with the reliance on rote learning giving students poor preparation for stepping out into the labour market.

Plaiphon Kumsap, an economist at Thammasat University, says universities are moving to upgrade their curriculums and teaching strategies, with a focus on increasing flexibility and broad-based learning. A law passed last year to reform the national educational system aims at better matching the demands of the workplace and future economy with today's teaching methods.

The National Economic and Social Development Board has hired the Thailand Development Research Institute to study ways of adjusting personnel development strategies. Eight categories have been highlighted-academia, management, clerical staff, traders, services, agriculture, manufacturing and transport. The report is expected to help the NESDB formulate educational development strategies.

However, one basic problem with long-term development strategies has been the fickleness of the political leadership. An NESDB official notes that industrial development policies, for instance, have often changed from minister to minister. Korn Dabbaransi, for instance, focused largely on agribusiness and food processing, while his successor, Suwat Liptapallop, has given more attention to the electronics sector.

"The sixth economic development plan, during the late 1980s, forecast high demand for engineers and architects, so there was a push for local universities to expand their faculties," another NESDB official says. "It takes at least five years to overcome problems. But with the economic slowdown and collapse of the property market, new graduates in these fields are coming out with no work to be found."

Fields	Total	Percent Unemployed	Percent FurtherStudy	Percent Employed
Dentistry	128	-	-	100.00
Medicine	406	0.74	1.23	98.83
Pharmacy	236	1.27	3.39	95.34
Veterinary science	135	25.19	6.67	68.15
Nursing	344	0.29	0.29	99.42
Architecture	144	34.72	12.50	52.78
Engineering	3,156	40.18	20.79	39.04
Commerce	1,394	33.50	11.69	54.81
Communication	295	56.61	12.54	30.85
Economics	724	44.61	26.66	28.73
Education	1,255	27.65	16.57	55.78
Law	526	39.35	41.44	19.20
Source: National Economic and Social Development Board