MEDIA CAREERS: Thailand on brink of talent crunch as economy picks up

Thai agencies appear to be facing a talent crunch as the country's economic recovery gains momentum, according to Mr Paisit Vatjanapagorn, DDB Thailand general manager. "We have a number of talented, well-educated people, but there may not be enough of them when business recovers and is back up to full speed again," he told MEDIA. He said the problem is compounded by the fact that little attention is given to education and training to bolster the ranks of savvy agency professionals. "This is a weakness in Thailand. We don't have proper programmes which can give appropriate knowledge and training to people. Formal educational institutions do not seem to be up-to-date as to the needs of today's world or working environment. "One important factor is that funds are always limited and the system does not support teachers and talented academics." The most sought after talents are Thais who have been educated abroad, said Mr Paisit. But he stressed that they must still have within them Thai values and culture; that is, not to be too Westernised. He said that people wishing to enter the marketing and advertising field should have vertical and horizontal knowledge. They should have expert knowledge of their business, but at the same time have knowledge of another field that may be useful to their core business skill, Mr Paisit added. Regarding cyberspace, he said Internet knowledge can be an advantage but "it is not a must". Whether that knowledge is advantageous or not depends on "your field of business", said Mr Paisit.

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