Thai digital industries poised for rapid growth

Thailand’s digital industries are expected to post double-digit growth this year as the Digital Economy Promotion Agency said that consumer behaviors under the new normal of the pandemic would endure and fuel the rise of the digital sector.
The Digital Economy Promotion Agency (DEPA) said that Thailand’s digital industries should achieve a value of $21.9 billion this year, up from $19.6 billion in 2020. The figures were calculated from the agency’s Thailand Digital Industry 2020 survey results. DEPA conducted the survey jointly with research and technology training provider IMC Institute.
Digital industries are one of 12 sectors the government has prioritized under Thailand 4.0, its program to propel the Kingdom to a more advanced, sustainable and green level of development over the next two decades. As such, the government provides a range of attractive incentives and privileges for enterprises in that sector.
DEPA President Nuttapon Nimmanphatcharin said in a virtual event that Thailand’s digital industry is moving towards a more service-based economy. The digital workforce has increased in every industry. Despite that, the supply of digital workers is still insufficient to meet the demands of entrepreneurs because industry growth has been so rapid.
The size of the workforce in the digital service industry rose 17.9 percent year-on-year to roughly 86,000 workers. Most of them were in the e-logistics business, including delivery drivers, Nuttapon added.
Thanachart Numnonda, Executive Director of IMC Institute, which jointly conducted the survey, said that the pandemic is the driving force for society to adopt digital technology faster than ever.