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Microsoft, together with the Royal Thai Government and partners across sectors, today announced the launch of Microsoft Elevate AI and Jobs for Thailand.
Microsoft is working to strengthen the national workforce systems behind skills development and hiring to support people through economic transition. Through country-level AI and Jobs plans, Microsoft combines workforce intelligence, coalition-based partnerships, policy engagement, and AI skilling pathways to identify the investments and policies needed for an evolving labor market. In Thailand, the coalition unites government and workforce leaders with employers to pilot and scale models tied directly to industry demand, creating seamless pathways from classroom to campus to career for students, new graduates, job seekers, and mid-career workers, while supporting the Royal Thai Government’s ambition to achieve OECD standards.
AI is reshaping work globally and in Thailand. Globally, LinkedIn estimates that 70% of the skills used in most jobs will change by 2030, with AI emerging as a key catalyst[1], while 1.3 million high-skill AI jobs were created worldwide between 2023 and 2025[2]. Employers are responding: 66% of business leaders say they would not hire someone without AI-literacy skills[3]. In Thailand, the labour market remains highly competitive, with job applications continuing to rise, up 13%, while AI-related skills are increasingly appearing in job ads, according to JobsDB by SEEK.
At the same time, significant readiness gaps remain. Microsoft’s 2026 AI in Education research found that 77% of students say they have not received formal AI training from their school, while 66% of educators want their institution to provide AI training monthly or quarterly. Microsoft Elevate AI and Jobs for Thailand aims to help close these gaps by strengthening the institutions and systems that support skills development and pathways to employment.
The coalition builds on Microsoft’s long-standing commitment to skilling in Thailand, where Microsoft’s skilling programs have already equipped more than 2.7 million Thai people with digital and AI skills in the last two years.
A national coalition connecting skills to opportunity
Microsoft Elevate AI and Jobs for Thailand brings together partners from across government, education, industry, employment and civil society:
- Government, education and skills development: Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI); Office of the Vocational Education Commission (OVEC); Department of Skill Development; Department of Employment; Digital Economy Promotion Agency (depa)
- Industry and employers: Federation of Thai Industries (FTI), Digital Council of Thailand (DCT) and Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC)
- Employment platforms: JobsDB by SEEK
- Civil society and nonprofits: Generation Thailand and Thai Fund Foundation
Prof. Dr. Yodchanan Wongsawat, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI), said “Advancing Thailand toward OECD standards is not only about policies and regulations. It is also about the urgent need to prepare the Thai workforce for an AI-powered world, elevating our human capital and global competitiveness. This national collaboration represents an important step toward systems-level change. As part of this effort, MHESI is committed to transforming higher education and lifelong learning—leveraging our National Credit Bank system and university-industry networks to equip Thai talent with in-demand AI capabilities. By bridging the gap between classroom curricula and real industry needs, we are turning AI literacy into high-value employment and ensuring inclusive economic growth for Thailand.”
Prasert Chanthararuangthong, Minister of Education, said “An AI-ready nation is defined by how prepared its people are to thrive with AI. As the starting point of Thailand’s AI-era workforce, the Ministry of Education is putting the government’s vision of ‘AI in All, All in AI, and AI for All’ into practice by building three foundations in every learner: the ability to think critically, to use AI effectively, and to use it wisely and safely. Microsoft Elevate AI and Jobs for Thailand builds on our existing partnership, moving from building skills to connecting those skills with real jobs. Our vocational colleges will be on the frontline, bringing AI curricula and skills credentials that reflect labour market demand into the classroom. Our teachers will lead the change, so that every learner, from urban centers to remote communities, has equal access to AI skills and is ready to work from day one.”
Kevin Frey, Vice President and Chief Impact Officer for Microsoft Elevate, said “The opportunity of AI is not just about access to technology. It is about equipping people with the skills and confidence to use AI effectively and responsibly, and giving them ways to put those skills into practice. At Microsoft, we are committed to supporting people on that journey, from classroom to campus to career. Through Microsoft Elevate AI and Jobs for Thailand, we are honored to work alongside the Royal Thai Government and partners across sectors to help connect learning with meaningful employment opportunities for people across Thailand.”
From AI skills to employment
The first phase of Microsoft Elevate AI and Jobs for Thailand is planned to run for approximately nine months, from October 2026 through June 2027, across four areas:
- Establishing the coalition and developing a Workforce Transformation Framework
- Developing AI learning and skills credentials aligned with the European Union’s DigComp 2.2 framework
- Creating opportunities to apply skills in practice, including hackathons
- Connecting learners with employment opportunities, informed by real-world labor market demand from FTI and JobsDB by SEEK to help align skills development with employers’ needs
Together, these efforts are designed to strengthen the institutions and systems people rely on to learn, work and adapt as jobs evolve, helping more people in Thailand build practical AI capabilities and turn those skills into real-world opportunity. Additionally, Thailand is the first among 19 countries to implement the Microsoft Elevate AI and Jobs national coalition model.
For more information about Microsoft Elevate AI and Jobs for Thailand, visit Elevate Communities.
References:
[1] LinkedIn, AI and the Global Economy and Skills on the Rise 2025
[2] World Economic Forum, Jobs and the Future of Work
[3] Survey of businesses in the United States, India, Germany, the United Kingdom and France, AI and the Global Economy