Thailand plans to employ 280,000 workers in high-tech sectors within 5 years, ETHRWorld

BANGKOK: Thailand aims to create 280,000 workers in advanced industries over the next five years and create an ecosystem to support new investments to help the country become a high-tech hub, the government said on Monday. In a statement, the government wants to employ 80,000 workers in the semiconductor industry, 150,000 in electric vehicles (EV) and 50,000 in artificial intelligence (AI).

Innovations of the past are gradually being replaced by many advanced technologies, including electric vehicles and artificial intelligence, on which Thailand has a solid foundation and is ready for further development, Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said in a statement.

“I invite all Thais who want to learn and develop to join these programs to improve their skills, prepare for work in high-tech industries and help transform the industrial structure together,” he said.

The government plans to create and develop a workforce at all levels, including the industrial sector, as well as researchers and graduates, Supamas Issaraphakdee, minister of higher education, science, research and innovation, said in a statement.

The government did not provide any cost estimates for its workforce transformation plans, but noted hundreds of high-tech training courses and said it was offering a 250% tax-deduction incentive to companies that send workers to these classes. (Reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat; Writing by Orathai Sriring; Editing by Ed Davies)