The Major Challenges effecting Human Resource Management in Public Universityies In Thailand

Abstract

This study aimed to identify the major challenges that affect human resource management in public universities in Thailand. To guide the study, three questions were posed: (1) What are the major challenges that affect the management of public universities in Thailand? (2) What are the major foreseeable results of effects from those challenges on the management of public niversities in Thailand? (3) What are the major foreseeable effects from the results of effects of those challenges on the management of human resources in public universities in Thailand? It was found that the major challenges are: (1) Change of status from public university to autonomous university; (2) Politics in public universities; (3) Business management competency of public university administrators; (4) Supervision and control of public universities; (5) Demographic changes; (6) Science and technology manpower requirements; (7) The needs of vocational education graduates: (8) The recent expansion of universities; (9) Open recruitment of Thai students from overseas universities; (10) The decrease in the needs for studying at the graduate level; (11) The increasing number of court cases prosecuted by employees; (12) Thailand’s 4.0 policy; (13) The Twelfth National Economic and Social Development Plan; (14) Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations; and (15) The promotion for establishing foreign universities in Thailand. The major foreseeable results of the effects of these challenges include: (1) Downsizing of the universities; (2) Mergers of some universities; (3) Outsourcing of the management of universities: (4) Change to become vocational education institutes; (5) Change to become training institutes; (6) Change to become other businesses; and (7) The closure of some businesses. The major foreseeable effects from the results of the effects of those challenges on the management of human resources in public universities in Thailand include: (1) Human resource development; (2) Relationships management; and (3) Human resource management. In order to be able to cope with the effect of the challenges, universities should develop or revise their strategic plans to prevent or reduce the degree of effects to an acceptable level.