The WEF Predicts Major Workforce Disruption By 2030. Here’s How B-Schools Will React

Sasin School of Management in Bangkok, Thailand

At Sasin School of Management, we are committed to developing advanced leadership skills and competencies in our students, in both our degree and non-degree programs. Our strategic focus encompasses several key areas that align with the World Economic Forum’s latest findings on global workplace transformation:

Leadership Development and Cultural Competence – We emphasize cross-cultural communication and aim to become a leader in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion within and beyond our institution. Our approach to DEI recognizes and embraces the fact that DEI initiatives and standards vary from country to country. In addition to conducting research into DEI policies in non-Western countries such as Thailand, our Inclusion Ambassador has helped us establish partnerships with a number of organizations to support and bring various marginalized groups into our community.

Sasin’s Segsarn Trai-Ukos: “With climate change mitigation ranking as the third-most transformative trend (47% of employers) and adaptation ranking sixth (41% of employers), sustainability has become core to our curriculum”

Meanwhile, our MBA students work on cross-cultural teams through our various Action Learning Labs in partnership with schools like MIT, Tsinghua, and Fudan. And our EMBA students cap their program with a two-week international residential at one of our partner schools, providing them with an applied global business perspective from faculty and industry leaders at one of the top business schools in North America. Our approach cultivates innovation and adaptability, enabling students to transform ideas into viable business models while developing essential soft skills such as creative problem-solving and change management – particularly crucial given that 39% of existing skill sets are expected to be transformed or become outdated by 2030.

Industry Integration and Networking – We are expanding beyond our Action Learning Labs to provide students with comprehensive real-world experience. This includes working on business cases, currently being developed in our new Asian Case Creation Center, and supporting startup ventures through validated business models, and sponsoring Sasin’s student entrepreneurs to participate in global startup competitions. Our alumni network and newly established Family Business and Entrepreneurship Center help facilitate valuable connections among students, alumni, and local and regional corporations.

Addressing Contemporary Challenges – In response to today’s volatile geopolitical and economic environment, we are focusing on five key challenges:

1. Technological Advancement – Recognizing that broadening digital access is expected to be the most transformative trend with 60% of employers anticipating business transformation by 2030, we are prioritizing technology education. We offer courses in AI & Business, Generative AI, and Cybersecurity, responding to the 86% of employers who expect AI and information processing to be transformative. Our vision integrates these technologies across our network of Centers, including Sasin Management Consulting, Japan Center, China Business Center, and Family Business and Entrepreneurship Center. Through our Action Learning Labs, consultancy services, and partnerships, we create a real-life laboratory for technological innovation.
2. Sustainability Integration – With climate change mitigation ranking as the third-most transformative trend (47% of employers) and adaptation ranking sixth (41% of employers), sustainability has become core to our curriculum. We feature dedicated courses in Sustainability Strategy and Sustainable Action Learning, along with case development. Our award-winning case study on “Driving Sustainable Transformation,” sponsored by Michelin Group, demonstrates our commitment to this area, and we are continuing to integrate sustainability throughout our consulting and entrepreneurship offerings.
3. Demographic Changes – Thailand’s challenges reflect global demographic shifts, including a low fertility rate (1.2) and increasing urbanization (52% of population). As tomorrow’s markets emerge from expanding working-age populations in lower-income economies, while higher-income economies face aging populations, we address these challenges by:

• Providing mid-career education and upskilling opportunities
• Supporting workforce development for extended careers beyond age 60
• Integrating new technologies, including AI, into our professional development offerings such as our Sasin Demystified series.

4. Economic Pressures – While Thailand maintains relatively stable economic indicators (2024 CPI at 1.23%, 2025 forecast at 1.1%), we recognize the increasing cost of living as the second-most transformative global trend. We prepare our students to manage these challenges through:

• Creative approaches to renewable energy and recycling
• Advanced finance management skills
• Supply chain optimization
• Strategic inventory and debt management.

5. Geopolitical Dynamics – With geoeconomic fragmentation expected to transform business models in 34% of organizations over the next five years, we recognize Southeast Asia’s position amid US-China-India relations as a bridge between the geopolitical blocks of the West and Asia. Through our Thailand Regional Forum at Sasin, conducted with a local organization, Data Consult, we provide a platform for foreign investors, faculty, alumni, and students to engage in meaningful dialogue, under Chatham House rules, about the political, economic, and business challenges and opportunities in Thailand and the region. We also actively engage with foreign chambers of commerce through board-level participation to drive discussions about the geopolitical and economic realities of the current environment.

Our aim is to ensure that our students are well-prepared to navigate and lead in an increasingly complex global business environment, where technological advancement, sustainability, and geopolitical understanding are paramount to success.

—Segsarn Trai-Ukos, Deputy Director, Sasin School of Management