ISM Technology Recruitment, a leading Thai IT recruitment firm, released its Thailand IT Salary Report and Thai IT Hiring Trends for 2024. In this article, let’s delve into the wages of IT professionals with the 2024 Thailand IT Salary Report.
The 2024 Thailand IT Salary Report and Thai IT Hiring Trends show salaries for Thai IT professionals continuing to rise, as the labor market still has high demand for specialized IT skills. Knowledge of AI is set to become increasingly important over the next 1 – 2 years.
Peter Fischbach, President of ISM Technology Recruitment Ltd., said “IT salaries remain on the rise, driven by continued demand from employers especially for Programmers and Programmer/Analysts, Front-end Developers, Full-stack Developers, Software/QA Automated Testers, and Data Analysts. There is also a growing demand for Cybersecurity Specialists (especially with certifications such as CISSP, CISM, CRISC, or CISA), particularly in financial services, healthcare, government, and retail sectors.”
IT job positions with salary rates continually soaring
Three key factors driving IT salaries higher
- Digital business expansion: Increased adoption of digital technology in core business operations creates higher demand for specialized skills.
- Shortage of Thai IT professionals: Thailand already lacks a sufficient IT workforce; neither universities nor vocational schools produce enough new graduates to keep up with growing demand. “This has consistently been true for the 30+ years ISM has been placing IT staff”, said Fischbach.
- The need for specialized skills: Beyond an overall shortage, the pool of IT professionals with expertise in certain skills is even more limited, thereby driving up salaries for job applicants with skills such as full-stack development, cybersecurity, and data science, among others.
In addition to the salary rates mentioned above in the 2024 Thailand IT Salary Report, there are also salary rates for various areas within the IT field as follows:
- Application Development
- Business Analysis
- Digital Marketing
- Data Science
- Infrastructure and System Administration
- Sales and Presales
- IT Management
You can find more information in the 2024 Thailand IT Salary Report
or download the full file here
Although certain sectors (such as financial services) typically pay higher salaries than others, many IT jobs are interchangeable across sectors. So the value of software developers, for example, will often reflect the demand for their specific technical skill, regardless of industry.
Contractors are also often available on a fixed-term basis for many of these job functions. The advantages (to contractors) of higher monthly incomes and greater career flexibility have made contracting an increasingly popular employment model.
Contract rates are generally higher than salaries for permanent staff in the same position and can be affected by variables such as length of the contract.
The 2024 Thailand IT Salary Report assumes that the salaries are for Thai nationals with at least a reasonable command of English (or better, for the more senior jobs). If the English proficiency is not strong, salaries may be slightly lower. Similarly, for those positions where certifications are indicated in the job description, candidates without certification can often be hired for somewhat less.
AI: The skill of the future
Although it’s mentioned in almost every story about IT these days, hands-on knowledge of applying AI to business needs has not yet become a required skill for most job descriptions. But that time is not far off, according to Fischbach, who says “We expect that by next year some AI-specific job skills such as Prompt Engineering may start showing up in job qualification requirements. We are suggesting to candidates that they start playing with AI tools now, on their own time, so as to be ready.”
Switching careers
“For those not yet working directly in the IT field but interested in changing their career track, becoming a Business Analyst is a good way to transition from a purely functional business background (e.g. accounting, risk analysis, HR, logistics and supply chain, etc.) into a more IT-centric job. AI will play a role in defining and translating business needs into IT applications, so developing skills in this rapidly emerging technology will also enhance the opportunities for a career change”, according to Fischbach.
For more information about the 2024 Thai IT Hiring Trends, click here.
About ISM Technology Recruitment Ltd.
ISM Technology Recruitment is a leading Thai IT recruitment agency. Since 1991 ISM’s tech recruiters have been placing IT professionals in high-paying contracts and cutting-edge permanent jobs with Thailand’s most desirable companies. In its executive search practice, ISM’s consultants advise Thailand’s top technology executives on their career choices.