WORK SKILLS NEEDS ASSESSMENT: COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE BETWEEN ENTREPRENEURS AND THE UNEMPLOYED IN SONGKHLA PROVINCE

Abstract

This study aimed to 1) Examine and assess employment conditions and work skills needs in Songkhla Province's labor market, 2) Evaluate the level of work skills needs and compare perspectives between entrepreneurs/employers and the unemployed in Songkhla Province, and 3) Propose guidelines for upgrading work skills in alignment with the assessed work skills needs of the local labor market. A quantitative research design was used. The sample consisted of 400 unemployed individuals and entrepreneurs/employers in Songkhla Province, drawn from a population of 20,768 using Yamane's formula and multistage sampling. The research instrument was a questionnaire with a content validity index of 0.60-1.00 and a reliability coefficient of 0.88. Secondary data were collected from 2020 to 2024, and primary data were gathered via questionnaire from a sample of 400 participants during April-May 2024. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and independent samples t-test. The findings revealed that 1) Songkhla's labor market showed an upward trend from 2020 to 2024, with employment increasing and unemployment declining; the mostin-demand occupations were sales and service workers, technicians and operators, and clerical staff; 2) entrepreneurs/employers required significantly higher levels of socioemotional skills, cognitive skills, and digital skills than the unemployed possessed at the .01 significance level across all dimensions, with the digital skills gap being the largest between entrepreneurs/employers ( = 3.76) and the unemployed ( = 2.90); and 3) work skills upgrading guidelines should focus on developing joint training programs with the private sector and educational institutions, establishing a job-matching platform, providing tax incentives to medium-sized enterprises, enhancing skills development for the unemployed, and improving entrepreneurs' wages and benefits to remain competitive.