The Minister of Labor and Vocational Training of Cambodia revealed that currently, the Cambodian labor force has10.8 million people, with an employment rate of 99.3%. Among them, 23% of the workforce is approximately 2.5 million in the industrial sector, 31% in the agricultural sector is approximately 3.4 million, 5% in the civil service sector is approximately 500000, and 12% in the foreign labor force is approximately 130000.

Cambodia is one of the countries with the highest employment rates in Southeast Asia and also one of the countries with the highest employment rates in the world. According to a report released by the International Labour Organization,In 2023, the number of unemployed people worldwide will rise to 208 million, and the global unemployment rate will reach 5.8%. Correspondingly, the International Labour Organization predicts a global employment rate of 94.2% in 2023.

The decline in the global employment rate is mainly due to the continuous impact of the COVID-19 epidemic and the overall contraction of the world economy. But under the same economic environment, Cambodia can maintain a highThe employment rate of 99.3% is inseparable from Cambodia's economic structure and the authorities' emphasis on the labor market.

Firstly, it is reflected in Cambodia's emphasis on labor protection.

In 2017, Cambodia issued the "Social Protection Policy Framework", with the goal of expanding the coverage of social protection networks and establishing a sound social protection system. This framework divides the social protection system into two parts: "social assistance" and "social security". Social assistance mainly provides assistance funds, free medical care, etc. to impoverished households and vulnerable groups to help them overcome difficulties and find jobs. Social security mainly establishes a pension system, expands the coverage of health insuranceProvide unemployment benefitsProtect the basic rights and interests of workers.

Based on the actual development situation in China,In February 2023, Cambodia passed the Social Security Plan Law and the 2016-2025 National Social Protection Policy Framework, which refined relevant policies on labor rights and provided a legal basis for promoting domestic employment rates.

In addition, the Cambodian Ministry of Labor will also establish recruitment and application platforms through the national employment agency, allowing employers and unemployed individuals to register, and hold vocational exhibitions to provide labor market information to unemployed individuals or graduates. The Ministry of Labor will continue to promote vocational education and training, and data shows that so far1.5 million young people receive free training to acquire skills and pursue more ideal careers.

Secondly, Cambodia's unique economic structure is also one of the important reasons for its high employment rate.

According to data from the General Administration of Customs of Cambodia,In 2022, Cambodia's total international trade exceeded 52 billion US dollars, and its exports mainly consist of agricultural and industrial manufactured goods, including grains, fruits, vegetables, clothing, footwear products, leather products, toys, and textiles. Agriculture and industry are the two major industries that promote Economy of Cambodia's economy.

But both agriculture and industrial production belong to labor-intensive industries, with generally low requirements for the comprehensive quality of labor. The vast majority of job positions are universal and do not have high technical barriers.

Industry insiders analyze that the International Labour Organization defines unemployed people as those who have reached the age of15 years old, noWorking, i.e. not working more than one week1 hourThe working population who are ready to work at any time, or who are looking for work, have already found work, and are waiting for the results of their work.

Although Cambodia's statistics on employment rates meet the standards of the International Labour Organization, the quality of employment is generally not high, especially for workers engaged in agricultural production, who may be farmers or family helpers, without fixed salaries and extremely unstable. Many workers engaged in industrial manufacturing can only barely make ends meet.

How to improve the labor force level and promote the transformation of the domestic labor force structure from repeatability and universality to high precision and irreplaceability will be an important issue faced by the Cambodian labor market in the next step.