Key facts
- Approximately 2.2 million Thai workers are at high risk of job displacement due to AI.
- Thailand ranks third in ASEAN for AI-driven job displacement risk.
- Unemployment among Thai youth aged 20-24 rose to 401,000 in Q2 2026.
- Job postings requiring AI skills have quadrupled in two years.
- AI is increasingly impacting professional and office-based roles, not just low-wage physical jobs.
Graduates across Southeast Asia are facing significant job market challenges as artificial intelligence increasingly automates tasks, leading to fears of widespread unemployment. In Thailand, the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI) has issued a stark warning, estimating that approximately 2.2 million workers are at high risk of job displacement due to AI in the coming years. This places Thailand third in the ASEAN region for AI-driven job replacement risk, following Singapore and the Philippines. The TDRI report highlights that new graduates are particularly vulnerable, with entry-level positions in fields like data entry, administration, accounting, and even creative roles being eliminated. Job postings requiring AI skills have quadrupled in just two years, extending beyond IT into various professional sectors. Unlike previous technological shifts that primarily affected manual labor, the current AI wave is targeting office workers and professionals, leading to a contraction of middle-class job opportunities. Beyond employment concerns, the TDRI also noted the increasing use of AI in cybercrime, enabling more sophisticated scams and deepfake technology, despite efforts by banks to counter these threats.