HKMB Hong Kong Means Business

Hong Kong Means Business Hong Kong Means Business
  • Login / Register

Languages

  • EN
  • 繁
  • 简
  • Events
  • My Feed
  • Contact HKTDC
  • Subscribe
  • Subscribe

Section Menu

  • Market Opportunities
  • Tech & Innovation
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Sustainability
  • Creativity & Lifestyle
  • HKTDC Updates
  • Featured Topics

Languages

  • EN
  • 繁
  • 简
  • HKTDC.com |
  • About HKTDC |
  • My HKTDC |
  • Login / Register |

HKTDC.com About HKTDC My HKTDC

Login Register

Hong Kong Means Business

Section Menu

  • Market Opportunities
  • Tech & Innovation
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Sustainability
  • Creativity & Lifestyle
  • HKTDC Updates
  • Featured Topics

https://hkmb.hktdc.com/en/NjU5NTM2NzM2

hktdc research
SAVE FOR LATER
SHARE / SEND

"Scan QR Code" in WeChat and tap "..." to share.

Thai Consumer Preferences: Education

22 February 2021



Lifelong learning aims at fully developing people’s capacity with sufficient basic knowledge and skills for living, working, and adjusting to rapid social and environmental changes throughout their lives. According to a recent HKTDC Research study, middle-class Thais strongly believe in lifelong learning and self-improvement, with 86% of respondents expecting to spend more or about the same as they do now on education in the next three years. The survey respondents also revealed some trends about the evolution of lifelong learning in Thailand. Education service providers who intend to deliver learning courses in this evolving sector should take note of these.

Thai Consumers’ Expected Changes in Spending Pattern in the Next Three Years (Services)

Categories

Spend More

Unchanged

Spend Less

Net
(Spend More - Spend Less)

Dining Out and Meal Delivery

e.g. restaurants, coffee shops

49%

32%

19%

30%

Home Entertainment

e.g. subscriptions for home cinema, anime, gaming

46%

37%

17%

29%

Travel and Leisure

50%

28%

22%

28%

Education

e.g. self-improvement, special interest courses

41%

45%

14%

27%

Health, Beauty and Wellness

e.g. membership of fitness / beauty salons

42%

39%

19%

23%

Source: HKTDC Survey

Career education 

Career education aims at providing people with knowledge and skills which will enable them to improve their ability to perform in their existing position or create new opportunities for them to advance. The aim of career education is to equip people for the types of work needed now and in the future, including innovation and adaptation to future work environments. 

The Thai government believes that career education is the key to the sustainable development of the country. Vocational training has played an important role in transforming Thai society from an agricultural one to a semi-industrial and service-based one, by enhancing competitiveness, employability and economic resilience. 

Through the cooperation and participation of all sectors, various kinds of career training have been made available to people in Thailand. The Thai government has tried hard to promote this cooperation and participation, through such means as tax benefits. It has done this to ensure that people can continue to undertake training courses throughout their professional life. 

Education for an ageing society 

Thailand will become a super-aged society within the next 15 years, rising from the tenth oldest in Asia in 2015 to the sixth oldest by 2035. The median age has risen sharply from about 18 in 1950 to about 40 at present and is projected to reach 50 by the middle of 21st century. The Thai government has been giving serious attention to ageing issues. 

Lifelong education must react to the ageing phenomenon. Nicha Pittayapongsakorn, a researcher at the Thailand Development Research Institute, has urged people to learn new skills because they are living and working longer in an aging society. She proposes that Thailand should develop a system to retrain the workforce in preparation for later stages of life as there will be fewer people in younger cohorts to support the elderly in the future. 

Describing how this might work, Pittayapongsakorn said: "We would like to help people to acquire flexible learning and upgrade to ready-to-use skills for middle-aged or even elderly adults. For instance, we initiated the Buddy Homecare Programme in Chiang Mai that collaborates with the local university to train people for elderly care. This skill set is critical as our country is experiencing a demographic change with an increasing elderly population.” 

Online learning 

Increasing numbers of Thais are signing up to learn online. Online learning has shown significant growth in recent years as the internet and education combine to provide people with the opportunity to gain new skills. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, online learning has become more central to people's lives. The pandemic has forced schools, universities, and companies to adopt remote working and this has greatly increased the usage of online learning.  

One major reason for the rapid growth of the online learning market is that online platforms allow access to online courses in numerous categories, such as computer science, engineering, mathematics, business, management, languages, art, personal development and so on. Unlike traditional classroom learning, online learners can arrange their schedules according to their convenience. Online learning provides an opportunity for full-time workers to increase their knowledge assets anywhere and at any time. 

Detailing which courses Thais tend to favour, Mekata – who is the managing director of Future Point Language Centre - said: “The most popular online course in Thailand is English because it is the global language of business, education and tourism. In recent years, we’ve also found another important international language - Chinese Mandarin, as more Chinese tourists and businesses have come to Thailand. Other sought-after courses include sustainable fashion, leadership, computer programming and social media marketing. We are living in a fast-changing world, skills that we learned a few years ago are no longer relevant. That is why lifelong education is so important.” 

Mekata added that his company is able to adapt its online courses for each individual, saying: “Personalised content is a key success factor for our business. Our online learning platform collects a massive amount of user data which enables us to use machine learning algorithms to personalise the course content for each individual and enhance their learning experience.” 

Survey respondents agreed that online learning was beneficial. One entrepreneur in a focus group said: “The biggest challenge for me is how to run a business and still continue to learn emerging skills to stay competitive. I found online learning quite helpful as it offers flexible, personalised content that is tailor-made for me. I do not have to go through the full prescribed training course, so I can scale myself rapidly.” 

The cost structure of online learning is another factor in the rapid growth of the market. Online courses are a more affordable option than traditional ones. There are no commuting costs, and course materials such as textbooks are available free online. 


[1] The HKTDC conducted a consumer survey and four focus groups in the cities of Bangkok and Chiang Mai in April‑September 2020. 1,004 Thai consumers aged between 18 and 60, with a monthly household income of THB30,000 (US$930) or above, responded to the survey. The participants in the focus groups, as well as fulfilling the same age and income requirements as the survey respondents, had to be internet and mobile phone users, and to have travelled abroad at least once in the past year.

BACK TO TOP ^
    Topics:
  • Education & Training,
  • ASEAN,
  • Southeast Asia,
  • Thailand,
  • middle class,
  • CONSUMER LIFESTYLE,
  • HKTDC SURVEY,
  • ONLINE LEARNING,
  • CAREER LEARNING
  • Education & Training
  • Education & Training
  • Education & Training
  • Education & Training
  • Education & Training
  • Education & Training
  • Education & Training
  • Education & Training
  • ASEAN
  • Southeast Asia
  • Thailand
  • ASEAN
  • Southeast Asia
  • Thailand
  • ASEAN
  • Southeast Asia
  • Thailand
  • ASEAN
  • Southeast Asia
  • Thailand
  • ASEAN
  • Southeast Asia
  • Thailand
  • ASEAN
  • Southeast Asia
  • Thailand
  • ASEAN
  • Southeast Asia
  • Thailand
  • ASEAN
  • Southeast Asia
  • Thailand
Home

Article Topics

ARTICLE TOPICS

EDUCATION & TRAINING24643
ASEAN37801
SOUTHEAST ASIA36184
THAILAND36194
MIDDLE CLASS80832

ARTICLE TOPICS

EDUCATION & TRAINING24643
ASEAN37801
SOUTHEAST ASIA36184
THAILAND36194
MIDDLE CLASS80832
CONSUMER LIFESTYLE145561
HKTDC SURVEY145562
ONLINE LEARNING146714
CAREER LEARNING146715

interest_article

YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN

03 February 2023

Success beckons at expo

19 January 2021

Human element in virtual meetings

19 May 2022

Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle: Hong Kong Industry-University-Research Collaboration

26 November 2021

Diversity and Connectivity: What You Need to Know about Greater Bay Area

Related Events

RELATED EVENTS

26 - 29 October 2023

Eco Expo Asia 2023 (Physical Fair)

26 October - 6 November 2023

Eco Expo Asia 2023 (Click2Match)

9 - 11 November 2023

HKTDC Hong Kong International Wine and Spirits Fair (Physical Fair)

9 - 18 November 2023

HKTDC Hong Kong International Wine and Spirits Fair (Click2Match)
FIND AN EVENT

Social Share

FOLLOW US

GET WEEKLY UPDATES

newpaper-img

GET OUR WEEKLY EMAIL UPDATES

banner-img


I acknowledge that the above information may be used by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) for incorporation in all or any of its database for direct marketing or business matching purpose (and may therefore become available to the public within and/or outside of Hong Kong for use by them), and for any other purposes as stated in the Privacy Policy Statement; I confirm that I have the consent and the authority of each individual named in this form to release their personal data for the purposes stated herein.


*For non-EU/EEA customers, please skip this box which is solely for EU/EEA customers as required by the relevant data protection law in the EU.

THANK YOU

Thank you for registering.

SHARE THIS STORY

EMAIL
LINKEDIN
WeChat
FACEBOOK
TWITTER
WHATSAPP

ID: HKTDCofficial

Don't have an account?

Create An Account

successfully added on your preferences.