ICT resources and Thailand's competitiveness

Peter Fischbach is president of ISM Technology Recruitment.

In addition, because so many ICT projects are designed and implemented on a regional or even a global scale, not only are specific technical skills required but English-language proficiency is essential. This makes Thailand's shortage even more acute.

So how can the country remain competitive? Let's look at that question from a different perspective, and take a different approach to answering it.

Ask yourself: How attractive would the investment climate in Thailand be if the best and the brightest ICT people from all over the world - not just Thais, but Americans, Europeans, Australians, or anyone - located themselves here? Would you prefer that a brilliant technology guru worked in Palo Alto, or Phuket? In London, or in Laem Chabang? In Brisbane or Bangkok?

The nationality doesn't matter. If the skills of these people were readily available in Thailand, then that would become yet another reason why companies that needed such resources - in whatever industry - would find it advantageous to invest here.

Thai companies, large and small, would also have an easier time finding the skilled resources they needed for expansion. A larger pool of ICT talent would help level the playing field for the many Thai companies that have yet to reap the competitive advantages made possible by technology.  Even local start-ups would have a greater chance of success if there were more ICT professionals working in Thailand.

Consider these points:

• Foreign ICT professionals would not take away any Thai jobs. Any Thai national with the skills for which a foreigner was being hired would either already have a job or would be easily able to find one. Local employers always prefer to hire qualified Thai candidates if they are available.

• Foreign ICT professionals would train Thai staff in new technology and also help improve their English-language skills. This would be especially valuable for Thai SME's whose staff, unlike the staff of large multinational companies, might otherwise find no such opportunity to work closely with fluent English speakers.

• Foreign ICT professionals would pay Thai taxes on a comparatively high local salary.

• Foreign ICT professionals would spend money in Thailand, generating economic benefits for other local businesses as well as increasing VAT revenue.

• Finally, the good news is that there are foreign ICT professionals already wanting to come and work here!

But they can not, because even though they would not be taking away any Thai ICT jobs, the Labor Department will not allow service companies to obtain work permits for them. Work permit approvals are determined by a company's registered capital. Service companies, and especially SME's - the sort that would be adding value and "packaging" technology resources for larger corporate clients -  neither want nor need high registered capital.

When the global economic climate ultimately improves, the winners will be those countries that have enhanced their attractiveness by creating centres of innovation and becoming magnets for skilled workers.

Enabling the free movement of skilled labor is a stated goal of the Asean charter. Thailand will therefore need to be even more proactive in attracting global talent if the country is to maintain a competitive advantage in the region.

Peter Fischbach is president of ISM Technology Recruitment.