On May 7, 2021, Deputy Labour Minister Prof. Narumon Pinyosinwat joined the discussion at the Microsoft APAC Public Sector Digital Summit – Empowering nations for a digital society event on “Society and the Future of Work.” The discussion took place on Microsoft Teams Live. The event brought together internationally recognized government executives and industry thought leaders to discuss the recovery of the economic downturn caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and re-imagination using digital technology for future work.
Prof. Narumon gave an address, saying that the Ministry of Labour has issued several measures to assist workers affected by the Covid-19 situation. The Department of Skill Development (DSD) focuses on professional skills development while developing digital skills to prepare workers for the New Normal. It has worked with the Thai Credit Guarantee Corporation (TCG) and other financial institutions to help workers who have passed training to gain access to funding and capital, to upgrade the Ministry of Labour to become the nation’s important Ministry of Economy. It focuses on developing digital labour, supporting vulnerable populations, the unemployed and self-employed, operating under the principle “Create, elevate and give; uniting Thailand to build a nation.”
The Deputy Labour Minister said that digital skills are a vital workforce skill for the future due to the exponential growth in digital technology. Furthermore, the Covid-19 pandemic has created new businesses and professions that require the use of digital skills. The DSD has established the Digital Skill Development Academy (DISDA) to oversee the development of digital skills for the workforce and the development of manpower to support target S-Curve industries, in line with the national strategy for developing manpower to prepare for the digital economy and society. In addition, the DSD has collaborated with various departments from the public and private sectors to provide a curriculum to develop professional and digital skills for the entire workforce.
More recently, the DSD has worked with Microsoft to support the knowledge base of digital skills, to develop skills for Thai workers nationwide. The efforts will help promote employment opportunities and is one of the key forces in building digital citizens to build a sustainable economic foundation.
“To upskill, reskill and new skills, aim to develop people to use digital technology intelligently in their careers. This will create valuable employment and support changes in the workforce structure, in the manufacturing and service industries that will be replaced by digital technology,” concluded the Deputy Labour Minister.
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Division of Public Relations
7 May 2021
