An exploratory study of digital workforce competency in Thailand

Industry 4.0 and the digital age have dramatically influenced both information technology (IT) job characteristics and IT labor demand. Leaders in higher education must keep up with the situation and accelerate plans to produce graduates with the quality and preparation required to meet industry needs. But based on the existing demand gap, universities are eager to first know which skills the IT-related industries expect from new digital workers. This study, conducted in Thailand, explores the competency of the digital workforce, an issue that was identified as vital to the 2017–2021 national agenda. The research project was divided into two steps. Phase one was to study and identify essential competencies for the digital workforce by first reviewing the literature, then verifying these results through qualitative methodology. Thirty IT experts in IT and related industries were invited to interview sessions. Eventually, after content analysis, 24 competencies were presented. Phase two was to survey the competency expectations of IT experts by using the initial questions generated by Phase One's outcome. 260 questionnaires were analyzed. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was selected to cluster the digital workforce competencies that were found. Three significant categories were selected based on Eigenvalue, and the average results of demand were explained. Industries had most expected competencies in the Professional skills and IT knowledge category, followed by the IT technical category and IT management and support category. The top five competencies desired were lifelong learning, personal attitude, teamwork, dependability, and IT foundations. However, there were some slightly different requirements between the IT industry and IT in non-IT industries. The results presented a new perspective that is very useful to Thailand. The academic sector can use these results to shape IT curriculum in order to effectively respond to real demand. In addition, recent graduates or graduating students can study these conclusions and better prepare themselves for future jobs.