What Thai Employees Really Want: EVP Insights 2026

Every year, EVPThai surveys thousands of employees across industries to understand what truly drives engagement, retention, and employer preference in the Thai labor market. The 2026 data reveals shifts that should inform every organization’s people strategy.

Compensation Is Table Stakes

Competitive pay remains a baseline expectation, but it’s no longer a differentiator. In our survey, salary ranked as the top factor for only 23% of respondents — down from 31% in 2024. What’s rising? Career growth, meaningful work, and manager quality.

The most revealing finding: employees who described their direct manager as “supportive” were 3.4x more likely to recommend their employer to friends, regardless of pay level. This underscores a simple truth — people don’t leave companies, they leave managers.

Flexibility Has Become Non-Negotiable

Post-pandemic, hybrid work is no longer a perk — it’s an expectation. 67% of office workers said they would consider leaving a role that required full-time office presence. For Gen Z respondents (now the largest cohort entering the workforce), that number rises to 78%.

But flexibility isn’t just about location. It’s about autonomy: the ability to manage your own schedule, choose how you work, and have ownership over your output. Organizations that confuse “hybrid policy” with “flexible culture” are missing the point.

Purpose and Culture Matter More Than Ever

42% of respondents said they would accept a lower salary to work at a company whose mission they believed in. This is particularly strong among mid-career professionals (5–15 years of experience) who are reevaluating what they want from work.

For employers, the implication is clear: your EVP cannot be a marketing exercise. It must reflect lived experience. Employees see through the gap between what’s promised on career pages and what’s delivered on the ground.

What This Means for Your Strategy

Invest in manager capability — it’s the highest-leverage retention intervention. Design flexibility into your operating model, not just your HR policy. And align your EVP with your actual culture, not your aspirational one. The companies that do this will win the talent war in 2026 and beyond.