ANALYZING EXPECTATIONS OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATORS ON KEY SKILLS REQUIRED FOR ENTRY-LEVEL JOBS IN THAILAND

Abstract

          The purpose of this paper was to investigate the expected entry-level skills required in various business sectors from the business administrators’ perspectives in the Thai context. Survey questionnaires were distributed to business administrators who had managerial experience at different levels in either domestic firms or international companies located in Thailand to explore their views and expectations towards graduates’ employability skills taught and refined by higher educational institutions. Total of 432 questionnaires were collected and analyzed. Twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted for in-depth discussions based on the findings from the questionnaire analysis. Two salient findings emerged from this study. First, business administrators’ expectations on entry-level job skills were not quite affected by their sector, gender, age, and years of employment. Second, entrepreneurial skills were considered as the most important skill category required for entry-level jobs, especially employees’ attitudes. This sheds light on how the higher education can narrow the gap between the perceived differences on employability skills that are deemed crucial.