“Doctor” Remains Dream Career – YouTuber a Hot Up-and-Coming Choice
Adecco Group Thailand has revealed the results of the 11th Children's Dream Career Survey for the year 2020. Across a sample of 4,050 Thai children aged 7 to 14 years from all regions, the survey demonstrated that the top dream career is “Doctor” followed by “Teacher”, similar to last year’s results. Meanwhile, the survey showed that most of the children who would like to become doctors reside in Bangkok and vicinity, while children who would like to become teachers are those residing in other provinces, reflecting the different values in each area.An up-and-coming career for this year’s survey is “YouTuber” which has risen to the third-ranking above “Athlete” and “Soldier”. Thai children in the survey also voiced their opinion that YouTubers are allowed to follow their passion, work comfortably, and earn a high income, while possessing freedom and fame. Moreover, many children believed that they have the capabilities and talent for this career. Others are also inspired by their favorite YouTubers and Game Casters.
YouTube Becomes Thai Kids Favorite -Kaykai Salaider Named as No.1 Idol
For 2020, the No.1 idol among Thai children is “Kaykai Salaider”, the 23-year-old YouTuber with the most followers in Thailand at 11 million people. The children voiced that they had chosen her for her bright and funny characteristics and her talent in producing entertaining and useful videos. “BLACKPINK”, the hottest South Korean girl group of the year with the hit song “Kill This Love”, followed in second place, with Lalisa “Lisa” Manoban named as the favorite member of this group. The No.3 idol according to the survey is “Zbing Z.”, a well-known YouTuber and Game Caster that has made the poll for the last three years. Meanwhile, the South Korean band “BTS” and famous Free Fire game caster “CGGG” were ranked in the fourth and fifth places.
The most popular YouTube channels among Thai children are “Kaykai Salaider”, with “Zbing Z.” “CGGG” and “UDIE” following in the second, third, and fourth places. The fifth most popular YouTube channel is “Bie The Ska”.
Thai Children in the Digital Era Searches for Knowledge on the Internet and Smartphones, Topping List for Most Desired Gifts
When asked about their methods of searching for knowledge outside the classroom, more than 50% of the children said that they rely on the “Internet”, from Google searches, website surfing, to watching YouTube on their computers and smartphones. Meanwhile, 25% of respondents said that they choose “Reading and Resources in the Library”.
The most desired gifts among Thai children are the “Smartphones”, with 25% of respondents choosing this gadget, while “Computers”, “Dolls”, “Cash” and “Books” followed respectively. These gifts also correspond with the top hobbies of Thai children which are gaming, internet surfing, playing with friends, reading books, reading comics, watching movies, and traveling .
Exploring Career Trends for Gen Z – Gen Alpha Children
Tidarat Kanchanawat, Country Director, the Adecco Group Thailand said, “The Children’s Dream Career Survey gathered opinions from children aged 7 to 14 years old, which can be separated into two generations, Gen Z and Gen Alpha. Both groups have grown up with technology and are comfortable using smartphones, tablets, computers, and the internet. Therefore, it is not surprising to see answers that are increasingly reflecting a digital era, from the YouTuber career that has risen to third place and predicted to rise in popularity. The fact that half of the children participating in the survey has selected YouTubers as their idols, to the behavior of children that includes their love for gaming, communicating through social media, and searching for information on the internet. All of these findings reflect that Thai children are truly digital natives.”
“These generations have opportunities to use technology and have access to information since they were born. Social researcher and demographer, Mark McCrindle, has predicted that Gen Alpha, or children under 10 years old, will be the generation with the best education, the highest intelligence, and the most adept at technology compared to other generations at the same age. Meanwhile, researchers have found that Gen Z or those under 26 years of age today will become the main driving forces in organizations, and will account for 27% of the workforce within the next five years. Gen Z also tends to choose a career that will allow them to make an impact on the world, from developing new technology to caring for the environment. They are also interested in becoming entrepreneurs and freelancers. These are different perspectives on choosing careers compared to the older generations.”
“Children growing up now will face an entirely different career landscape. Many careers will be fully replaced by technology and AI, while new careers will emerge. Experts have predicted that by 2025, 60% of the workforce will have careers that do not yet exist today. Therefore, it is up to adults to develop the capabilities of children, especially regarding their life skills and social skills, which cannot be replaced by robots. Moreover, we must instill a value of lifelong learning in order to enable children to learn and expand their knowledge. In the future, new information will be much more important than educational degrees.”
“Lifelong learning and adapting to changes will become the key motto for this new generation of children that will allow them to grow up in a world of constant disruption.”
