BANGKOK: Mercer revealed that the average employee salary in Thailand is set to increase by 5.0% in 2025, equivalent to 2024.
Mercer’s Total Remuneration Survey 2024 analyses remuneration trends and policies across more than 5,000 roles in over 700 companies in Thailand.
The analysis shows that while salaries are set to increase at the same pace compared to 2024, all companies surveyed (100%) are set to provide salary increases in 2025, compared to 99.8% in 2024.
The top factors influencing salary increases in 2025 are individual performance, salary range, organisation performance and the organisation's competitiveness in the job market.
Today, nearly 91.0% of the organisations surveyed have short-term incentive plans such as bonuses, while the percentage of companies offering long-term incentives such as stock options grew 1.8% from 78.9% in 2023 to 80.7% in 2024.
• The consumer goods industry is focused on base salaries, which account for 75% of that industries’ total remuneration packages. The automotive industry offers the highest percentage of short-term incentives, making up 23% of the total remuneration packages in that sector.
• The life sciences industry remains the highest-paying sector in Thailand, offering 20% more for annual base salaries.
• Despite the prevalence of flexible benefits schemes internationally, their use in Thailand remains limited, with only less than one-fourth of surveyed companies offering these benefits to their employees.
Thira Laulathaphol, Mercer’s Thailand Career Principal, said: “The average salary increase of 5.0% in 2025 reflects an ongoing commitment by Thai organisations to invest in their workforces. And with 100% of surveyed companies planning salary increases, it is clear that Thailand has a competitive job market.”
“In this environment, it is crucial for HR leaders to adopt a holistic approach to total compensation. This includes salary adjustments and short-term and long-term incentives while addressing the evolving well-being needs of employees.
"By effectively adapting to changing expectations, organizations can attract and retain top talent in an increasingly complex landscape.” - The Nation/ANN
