Introduction

Many countries worldwide have entered an aging society, or a society with an aging population that accounts for more than 7% of the total population. In the next 20 years, the world is expected to enter fully into an aging society. According to the United Nations, a quarter of the world's population will be over 65 by 2050, with regions such as North Africa and West Asia, Central Asia and South Asia, East and Southeast Asia, and Latin America expected to double the age of 65 and over (United Nations, 2017). An aging society has affected the country's socio-economic structure, causing labor shortages. It also impacted the financial security of pension and social security systems (Aroonjit, 2020). As a result, many countries around the world have prepared proposals for businesses to abolish the retirement age and allow workers to work until the age of 70, which is now 65, to solve the problem of labor shortages and the social welfare burden (Daisuke Kato & etc., 2019). In addition, elderly workers are considered a group of workers with long-term potential, knowledge, ability, and experience that the organization must maintain to increase competitiveness and enable the organization to survive sustainably (Sadangharn, Ingard & Thanadechawat, 2015).

Thailand has a systematic development policy for the elderly working more, one of which is planning for the elderly's income security and deferring retirement (Rattanapanya, 2019) by promoting and expanding work opportunities for the elderly, which is a measure for hiring elderly workers, arising from a belief in the elderly's potential as valuable. They can train, pass on knowledge, and serve as role models for younger generations (Department of Employment, 2021). Furthermore, Thailand has transitioned into an aging society. Thailand is the second-largest country after Singapore in terms of the number of people aged 60 and up, with at least 13 million people, or 20% of the total population, and Thailand expects 20 million elderly in the next 20 years (Bank of Thailand, 2018).

According to Thailand's elderly statistics from 2016 to 2020, the population aged 60 and over in 2016 was 9,934,309 people or 15.07 percent of the total population. In 2017, there were 10,225,322 people or 15.45 percent of the total population. There were 10,666,803 people, or 16.06 percent, in 2018. As shown in Figure 1-1, there were 11,136,059 people in 2019, representing 16.73 percent, and 11,627,130 people in 2020, representing 17.57 percent (Department of Older Persons, 2021).

The transition to an aging society impacts economic growth in the consumption sector, reduced purchasing power, and people's overall quality of life. As a result, the elderly's dependency ratio relative to those of working age will rise. As a result, the country must prepare to build a quality aging society by promoting and expanding opportunities for work for the elderly, which will provide income stability for the elderly, allowing them to help and rely on themselves. The government should set goals to increase the employment of the elderly, such as determining the appropriate retirement age based on the type of occupation and opening opportunities for the elderly who are competent, experienced, and have the specialized expertise to resume work, among other things. The private sector should improve the motivation of the elderly to work to promote the organization's suitability and efficiency (HR NOTE Thailand, 2019).

As a result, the researchers recognize the significance of preparing for an aging society by making the elderly a valuable resource, promoting and expanding employment opportunities, causing elderly workers to occur, and making these elderly feel valid and self-sufficient. The researchers are interested in investigating methods for maximizing the potential of elderly workers in the workplace. The study's research aims to explore approaches to enhancing the potential of elderly workers in the workplace, to assess the relationship between the elderly's working needs and their status, and to compare the potential of elderly workers in the workplace by their status.

Literature Review

Concept of the Elderly

Janobrom (1998), The definition and qualifications of the elderly who has four characteristics, which are as follows. 1) Consider the elderly at the age that they appear to be. (Chronological Aging), based solely on the number of years or actual age according to the calendar year, without regard for other factors. 2) Consider the characteristics of physical changes in the elderly. This transformation process (Physiological Aging or Biological Aging) increases with life expectancy each year. 3) Consider the elderly, who exhibit all of the symptoms of mental changes. The process of change in mental, intellectual, cognitive, and learning declines. (Psychological Aging). And 4) Consider the elderly's social roles. (Sociological Aging), due to changing social roles, interactions with groups, as well as reduced work responsibilities.

Yodphet (2001) proposed the viewpoint of Barrow & Smith (Barrow & Smith, 1979) that it is difficult to determine who is old or elderly, but the following elements:

1) Tradition. 2) Physical functioning (Body Functioning). 3) Mental functioning. 4) Self-concept. 5) Occupational capacity. And 6) Physical and mental health conditions.

Hierarchical Theory of Needs

Abraham Maslow, a psychologist, developed the theory of basic human needs (Maslow, 1980; Inthara-sorn, 2011). Maslow believed that human needs are hierarchical, rising from the most basic to the most complex. When humans manage to meet their basic needs, they will have other desires they need at the next higher level, which are as follows. 1) Physiological needs.

2) Security or safety needs. 3) Acceptance or Affiliation Needs. 4) Esteem Needs. And 5) The need for success in life (Self-actualization)

According to Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory, he classified needs into two levels:

Lower-order needs consist of physical needs, safety and security needs, and commitment or acceptance needs.

Higher-order needs include the desire for praise and the desire for success in life.

Ideas to Increase Career Skills and Have A Job for Adults and Seniors

According to Yodphet (2015), improving occupational skills and employment opportunities for adults and the elderly is a critical component. "Skills" are important factors that increase a person's working potential, particularly for workers who continue to work when they reach retirement age, which is different from the occupational component. In terms of "workforce competency," this factor reduces work potential as the workforce ages. As a result, improving occupational skills encourages both adults to continue to work when they reach old age and older people to work as much as they want.

To improve elderly vocational skills and to have a job gives the Thai elderly more career potential, according to a proposal derived from a synthetic analysis of research studies in Thai society, both at the individual level and in groups of elderly who face obstacles in their careers due to a lack of skills, as follows:

1. Social skills: According to the research findings of Soonthornthada & Khamsuwan (2010), the elderly had important occupational characteristics and were found a lot, especially in rural areas, in terms of building good relationships in group gatherings. Because it is a collective occupation, encouraging adults or the elderly to develop social skills to strengthen good relationships within the group will result in the group's sustainability, resulting in a long-term collective occupation.

2. Knowledge management skills are necessary for creating learning and transferring knowledge between people or organizations.

3. Resource mobilization skills: with the current Thai urban affairs management model, which emphasizes decentralization. As a result, if an adult or elderly obtains skills in resource mobilization, resources or budgets are used to fund project implementation. Ultimately, it will contribute to the promotion of elderly occupations.

4. Computer skills are abilities that many adults and older people lack in using computers for communication, resulting in the elderly getting denied access to information and some or all services. Learning to use a computer will increase opportunities for the elderly, both directly and indirectly.

5. Marketing skills affect the career development of the elderly because they influence how goods and services are distributed to consumers today. Adults and the elderly will benefit from the promotion of working skills because it will increase their potential and self-sufficiency, compensate for the decline competence with age, and allow them to keep up with change and pursue a career that is appropriate for the context of the area and market demand, which will support their careers and generate income continuously.

Research Framework

Research methodology

This study was survey research to study the approaches to enhancing the potential of elderly workers' work skills by analyzing factors affecting the effectiveness of elderly workers in the workplace and comparing, maximizing the potential of elderly workers in the workplace by personal status, using a questionnaire as the instrument.

Population and Sample Size

This study's population consisted of 500 elderly who worked in the workplace. Sample size determination to obtain the study sample size, a representative that can provide reliable population information, using Taro Yamane's ready-made tables to the sample size with confidence levels of 95 percent, a margin of error of 5 percent (Silcharu, 2017), and a sample size of 222 people. The researcher used purposive sampling in this research.

Research Tools

The researcher drafted and created the questionnaire created with the assessment form. Then they presented to three experts who have knowledge and experience in the field of study to test the accuracy, content coverage, and correctness of language expressions, calculating reliability by analyzing the alpha coefficient, which was 0.92.

Statistics and Data Analysis

The data for this study were analyzed on a computer using the Statistical Package for Social Science Program (SPSS). Personal status information from a Checklist-style questionnaire was calculated using the frequency method and summarized as a percentage. The calculation for information on approaches to enhancing the potential of elderly workers in the workplace looks like a Rating Scale, using the method of determining the mean and Standard Deviation (S.D.) and analyzing the relationship between the elderly's working needs and their status using Chi-Square ( ) with Pearson's method. Furthermore, data analysis employed inferential statistics to test the hypothesis by comparing the potential enhancement of elderly workers in the workplace by personal status, gender, age, educational level, and marital status. The analyst used a t-test to compare gender and used a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) to examine the differences in group variables for age, education level, and marital status. If the group discovers the difference, it will use Scheffe Analysis to analyze and compare it to the difference between the group's pairs.

Research Results

According to the research objectives, the researcher would like to present an overview and conclusion of the research findings as listed: (Table 1 to 5)

Table 1 Mean, Standard Deviation and Level of Opinion on Approaches to Enhancing the Potential of Elderly Workers in the Workplace
Approaches to enhancing the potential of Elderly workers in the workplace	X¯	S.D.	Opinion level
Overview of approaches to enhancing the potential of Elderly workers in the workplace	3.72	0.60	high
Social skill	4.05	0.67	high
Knowledge management skill	3.67	0.85	high
Resource mobilization skill	3.88	0.64	high
Marketing skill	3.61	0.72	high
Computer skill	3.40	0.93	moderate

Table 2 Chi-Square of the Relationship Between the Elderly's Need for Work and Personal Status
The elderly's need for work	Chi-square
	Gender	Age	Educational level	Marital status
Job search and occupation requirements	0.99	0.00*	0.60	0.08
job requirements	0.07	0.00*	0.27	0.00*
the kind of work	0.62	0.00*	0.55	0.02*
* with statistical significance at the 0.05 level

Table 3 A Comparison of the Enhancing the Potential of Elderly Workers in the Workplace, Classified By Personal Gender Status
Approaches to enhancing the potential of Elderly workers in the workplace	t	p-value
Overview of approaches to enhancing the potential of Elderly workers in the workplace	-4.29	0.00*
Social skill	0.20	0.71
Knowledge management skill	2.13	0.01*
Resource mobilization skill	2.88	0.01*
Marketing skill	-2.89	0.00*
Computer skill	-2.20	0.00*
* with statistical significance at the 0.05 level

Table 4 A Comparison of the Enhancing the Potential of Elderly Workers in the Workplace, Classified By Personal Status in Terms of Age
Approaches to enhancing the potential of Elderly workers in the workplace	F	P
Overview of approaches to enhancing the potential of Elderly workers in the workplace	13.64	0.00*
Social skill	3.13	0.04*
Knowledge management skill	13.61	0.00*
Resource mobilization skill	6.70	0.00*
Marketing skill	10.51	0.00*
Computer skill	8.21	0.00*
* with statistical significance at the 0.05 level

Table 5 A Comparison of the Enhancing the Potential of Elderly Workers in the Workplace, Classified By Personal Status With Educational Level
Approaches to enhancing the potential of Elderly workers in the workplace	F	P
Overview of approaches to enhancing the potential of Elderly workers in the workplace	7.29	0.00*
Social skill	0.19	0.83
Knowledge management skill	6.32	0.00*
Resource mobilization skill	0.48	0.62
Marketing skill	9.69	0.00*
Computer skill	13.47	0.00*
* with statistical significance at the 0.05 level

Table 6 A Comparison of Enhancing the Potential of Elderly Workers in the Workplace, Classified By Personal Status With Marital Status
Approaches to enhancing the potential of Elderly workers in the workplace	F	P
Overview of approaches to enhancing the potential of Elderly workers in the workplace	2.61	0.05*
Social skill	0.46	0.71
Knowledge management skill	2.20	0.09
Resource mobilization skill	4.03	0.01*
Marketing skill	1.01	0.39
Computer skill	5.30	0.00*
* with statistical significance at the 0.05 level

Conclusion

The study looked at various approaches to improving the potential of elderly workers in general. When the opinions were classified by aspect, there was a high opinion in social areas, knowledge management, resource mobilization, and marketing, with a moderate level in the computer aspect.

An analysis of the relationship between the elderly's need for work and personal status revealed that the relationship was independent of their gender, educational level. And the relationship between work needs and age was dependent on three items, namely, job search and occupation requirements, job requirements, and the types of work, with statistical significance at the 0.05 level of three-item; job search and occupation requirements, job requirements, and the kind of work. Furthermore, the relationship between work demands and personal status is marital status dependent, with a significance level of 0.05 for two items, namely jobs and work types.

Results of enhancing the potential of elderly workers in the workplace, classified by personal status, in comparison

The findings of a comparison of the enhancing the potential of elderly workers in the workplace, classified by personal gender status, revealed that the maximizing the potential of elderly workers in the workplace as a whole. At the 0.05 level, there was a statistically significant difference, with males having a greater need to increase labor potential than females. Taking each aspect into account, the researchers discovered a statistically significant difference at the 0.05 level in four areas. Knowledge: Males have a greater desire to increase the capacity of knowledge workers than females. Resource mobilization: Males have a greater need to increase resource capacity than females. Computing: Females were more demanding than males maximizing their computing skills, and Marketing: Females desired to up-level their marketing skills than males in terms of having workers in marketing. On the social aspect, there was no statistically significant difference at the 0.05 level.

The comparison of enhancing the potential of elderly workers in the workplace, classified by personal status in terms of age, has discovered the need for different groups to improve the potential of elderly workers in the workplace in general. There was a statistically significant difference at the 0.05 level, and when considered each aspect, the study discovered a statistically significant difference at the 0.05 level in 5 areas, namely social, knowledge, resource mobilization, computing, and marketing.

Comparative results of enhancing the potential of elderly workers in the workplace, classified by personal status, educational level discovered that in different groups, there was a need to strengthen the work skills of elderly workers in the workplace as a whole, there was a statistically significant difference at the 0.05 level. And when considering each aspect, there was a statistically significant difference at the 0.05 level in three areas: knowledge, computing, and marketing. There was no statistically significant difference in terms of social and resource mobilization at the 0.05 level.

The comparison of enhancing the potential of elderly workers in the workplace, classified by personal status with marital status, discovered a need to expand the potential of elderly workers in the workplace as a whole in different groups. There was no statistically significant difference at the 0.05 level, and when examined each aspect, discovering that there was a statistically significant difference at the 0.05 level in two areas: resource mobilization and computing. At the 0.05 level, there were no significant differences in social, knowledge, or marketing.

Discussion

For the analysis of the relationship between the need for work of the elderly and personal status, the study discovered that the relationship between work demand and personal status depended on age, which was consistent with the research of Kultanawit & Sunthornchawakan (2019) to study the need to continue working after retirement for elderly workers (over 50 years). And also the need to continue working for employers after retirement. According to the findings, the majority of older workers prefer to work after retirement. The elderly desired to connect with the current workplace and run a private business. The results of this study were consistent with the research of Photjananukulkit, Boriboon & Prachonpachanuk (2016) which revealed that there would be a possibility and necessity in the future to bring back elderly laborers into the workforce. This need will require the development of the elderly group to have the potential to work and be able to reunify them with the workplace. Different types of knowledge, formal and informal, are classified as teaching courses for the elderly, and the types of training depending on the interests, needs, and abilities of the elderly.

The study showed that the elderly had good relationships with others and cooperated well with others, with a high average level, for enhancing the potential of elderly workers in social aspects. This research was consistent with the findings of Ratana-Ubol (2018). It discovered that the goal of promoting the elderly's potential participation in community activities is to get the elderly to interact socially with people of all ages and that the elderly can care for themselves without relying on others, which is average at a high level and consistent with the concept of Chiang Mai University's Institute of Social Research. (The year of publication does not appear: Abstract) on the potential of the elderly in social work, they discovered that the majority of the elderly have the potential or ability to perform various tasks, both in the form of working for money and contribute to society

To improve the potential of elderly workers in knowledge management, the elderly could transfer knowledge and experience systematically, with a high average level, which was consistent with the research of Thakrairat (2015) discovered that the elderly were knowledgeable people with the ability, experience, knowledge, and wisdom in various fields to convey so that children, young people, and the general public could learn and receive knowledge, and who agreed with Khammadee, Jadesadalug & Kongklay (2017) said that knowledge is a tool for driving the economy and increasing job creation, including competitiveness. Organizations can use people's deeply embedded knowledge to keep the organization running. Utilizing knowledge will be effective only if knowledge sharing occurs, including the learning process through knowledge transfer, consistent with Northouse (2013). Knowledge management benefits the organization by increasing employee and organizational competence by extracting knowledge and experience from potential senior citizens, and knowledge management in the organization for the elderly brings the knowledge that this group of workers has accumulated over a long working life, long known as Significant Corporate Experience, which is of great value to the organization (Hewitt, 2012; Henkens & Schippers, 2012).

According to Jenjad's research, the elderly could use resources as capital for their operations with a high average level (2005: Abstract). Income for the elderly has been discovered to include additional from activities as well as the integration of various career development plans, which were consistent with Thai Health Promotion Foundation (2018, Website) claim that the elderly were qualified and mature, the elderly could pass down their experience to future generations. It can be beneficial for an organization with skilled, experienced workers because it prevents the organization from having to create new people, reducing the burden of personnel development costs, as well as helping society by providing an income to the elderly and allowing them to be self-sufficient without being burdened by society or the government. It is also consistent with research by Ratana-Ubol (2019). They found that there is an incentive for the elderly to learn to improve their work to earn income, to inspire the elderly to use the ability to work for money, and to motivate the elderly to learn to improve the way they work to get money, to be able to take care of themselves, to reduce their dependence, which has the highest average level.

For enhancing the potential of elderly workers in the computer aspect, uncovered that the elderly required information channels about the promotion of working for the elderly, with a high average level, consistent with Ratana-Ubol (2019) discovered that the recommendation of employment sources to the elderly was also at a high level, consistent with the research of Wattatham (2014). They addressed that the technology is necessary to keep up with today's work and access to various social media to keep up with the global economy, the elderly should improve their working skills and try to expand their existing knowledge.

To improve the potential of elderly laborers in marketing, the researchers discovered that the elderly desired to provide a market for the elderly's work productivity, with a high average level, which contradicted Ratana-Ubol (2019) discovered the moderate average coordination with the establishment to employ the elderly.

There was a statistically significant difference at the 0.05 level for the comparison of enhancing the potential of elderly workers in the workplace, classified by personal status, gender, age, and educational level, which is consistent with Daft & Marcic (2013), who stated that diversity of personnel, regardless of gender, age, education level, race, religion, language, personality, knowledge, abilities, is crucial. Taking advantage of this diversity can increase work capacity, cultivate broad thinking and work skills, and solve various problems that contradict the research of Boonthong (2018) discovered that gender, age, and educational level are all personal factors. At the 0.05 level, there was no statistically significant difference in personnel potential development approaches.

Acknowledgement

Assoc.Prof.Lt.JG.Dr.Taweesak Roopsing is an Associate Professor at King Mongkut’s of Technology North Bangkok, Thailand. His email address is roopsingt@gmail.com

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Received: 26-Nov-2021, Manuscript No. AEJ-21-8553; Editor assigned: 29-Nov-2021, PreQC No. AEJ-21-8553 (PQ); Reviewed: 13-Dec-2021, QC No. AEJ-21-8553; Revised: 20-Dec-2021, Manuscript No. AEJ-21-8553 (R); Published: 05-Jan-2022.