There continues to be high demand in Thailand for technically strong IT Professionals. Despite the shortage of qualified candidates, the demand is almost exclusively for Thai nationals because of restrictions on foreigners working in Thailand.
For Programmers and Programmer / Analysts, Python and Java (across all platforms) remain among the top development skills employers are looking for.
Front-end Developers had a noticeable jump in salaries since last year. That was also true for Software Testers (especially with experience using automated testing tools such as Selenium, Robot, Appium, JMeter, Cypress, Cucumber, etc.), because there are still not enough people in the market with those skills. Although coding ability is not always a requirement for a tester position, Python, Java, and shellscripting are frequently used in creating test environments and test scripts, so candidates who can effectively work with those tools may expect higher salaries.
The title “Full-stack Developer” appears in so many job descriptions that we think a simple definition might be helpful here. It basically means developers who have the scope to work on all aspects of an application, including both front- and back-end functionality, database access, as well as an understanding of middleware tools and web server configuration. If they are versatile enough to work with more than one programming language, that’s definitely a plus.
As was the case last year, the demand for Data Analysts, especially at the more senior levels, is driving a significant increase in salaries for those jobs. Hands-on experience using Tableau, Cognos, Apache Spark or other BI (Business Intelligence) and data management tools (in addition to solid background with SQL-Server, PL/SQL, MySQL) will open interview doors at many companies. As is the case for other jobs, Python coding skills also make a candidate for any Data Science position especially attractive.
The demand for Cybersecurity Specialists, especially those with certifications such as CISSP, CISM, CRISC, CISA (for IT Auditors), and a strong understanding of ISO 27001 has also increased, particularly in financial services, healthcare, government, and retail sectors.
Although we are still not seeing purely AI-focused job descriptions, employers are expecting IT professionals in various mid- to senior roles to keep themselves up-to-date in this fast-evolving technology. 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 play with AI tools on their own time so as to be ready.
For career changers and those wanting to ‘re-skill’ into an IT career path, a Business Analyst position remains a good way to transition from a purely functional business background (e.g. accounting, credit risk analysis, logistics and supply chain, HR, etc.) into a more IT-centric job function.
For a detailed report on current salaries, see our 2024 Thai IT Salary Report
Please call or email us if you have any questions, or would like more detail about IT salaries and availability of IT staff or contractors in Thailand.