Hiring in Sales & Marketing (B2B & FMCG): Guide and Trends in 2025

2024 witnessed an increase in Chinese manufacturers entering the Thai market. This drove up demand for talent with Chinese speaking skills, but according to Rakchanok Tiwa, Senior Manager at Robert Walters Thailand, there were few of such candidates that also had the specific technical backgrounds required by the industries that were hiring.

Across all B2B and FMCG sectors, Rakchanok notes that companies reported a misalignment between candidates’ salary expectations and the skills and experiences they could bring to the table.

“Economic conditions were challenging this past year, and it is one of the main reasons why candidates asked for larger increments. Concerned about job stability, they sought higher compensation to make the risk of changing jobs worthwhile,” she explains.

Read on to find out more about Rakchanok’s expectations of the labour market and hiring trends for Thailand’s Sales & Marketing professionals in 2025, specifically within B2B and FMCG sectors.

Hiring for revenue and profitability

Global economic headwinds are likely to persist going into 2025, and many companies might continue struggling to reach sales, revenue and growth targets.

As a result, hiring managers will likely hike up requirements in hiring. They will seek agile candidates with a proven track record of driving successful business turnarounds, or those who can help deliver results within shorter timeframes.

Demand for skills in business development, strategy

In 2025, companies are placing an emphasis on skillsets in business analysis, business development and strategic planning.

Within B2B companies, the most highly sought after roles on the market are marketing managers, regional sales marketing managers for South East Asia, and business development managers. Roles that FMCG companies are expected to prioritise are trade marketing managers, senior brand managers and heads of channel.

Get prospective hires excited about the opportunity

Beset by concerns about the economy, candidates are hesitant to make career moves at this time. Those who are looking out are after career advancement and growth opportunities, as well as prospects that offer international mobility.

Therefore, companies may find that learning and development opportunities are especially impactful in today’s market, as it helps employees feel motivated and secure about their ability to contribute. In addition, Rakchanok also recommends recognising top performers through schemes like reward systems, and providing fringe benefits that meet each employee’s needs. Flexible work arrangements and mental health support initiatives are also other requests that Rakchanok hears often.

Workforces are becoming more age-diverse, with some companies boasting teams comprising individuals from different generations. “Therefore, a ‘one size fits all’ approach no longer works in talent attraction and retention today. Companies must understand individual motivations and design versatile systems that help employees of all kinds feel engaged,” she says.

Salaries remain stable

With cost pressures in mind, companies will likely keep salaries similar to existing rates, without significant increments.

Find out more

Request access to our 2025 Salary Survey to benchmark salaries and to find out more about key hiring trends in the Sales & Marketing (B2B & FMCG) sector in Thailand.