Thailand’s education system and skills imbalances: Assessment and policy recommendations

Marieke Vandeweyer, Ricardo Espinoza, Laura Reznikova, Miso Lee and Thanit Herabat

No 1641, OECD Economics Department Working Papers from OECD Publishing

Abstract: In light of population ageing, globalisation, automation, and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Thailand’s labour market is being significantly reshaped, and so are the skills required for higher employability. This paper analyses the capacity of Thailand’s education and training system to develop relevant skills from the pre-primary to higher education level, and explores the current state of skills imbalances in the country. It identifies accessibility of schooling, provision of relevant teacher training, and sustained competitiveness of higher education institutions as key areas for improvement. It also points to large skills shortages in the education, and health and social work sectors, and prevalent qualification and field-of-study mismatches. The findings highlight that a responsive education system, together with high-quality life-long learning opportunities that are accessible to all and aligned with skill needs, will be essential to equip Thai people with the right skills for navigating the rapidly changing world.

Keywords: Accessible schooling; Adult education; Education expansion; Education quality; Lifelong learning; Skills imbalances; STEM skills; Thailand (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A20 F66 I21 I23 I24 I26 J21 J23 J24 J31 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020-12-18
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-lma and nep-sea
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:oec:ecoaaa:1641-en

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