The meeting was chaired by Labour and Vocational Training Minister H.E. Ith Samheng, with the participation of representatives of the government, employees, and employers.

In the meeting, the first of a series of meetings, the trio parties presented key statistical updates on socio-economic criteria to form the basis for the minimum wage talks as well as input such as current inflation, competition, and market situation from the representatives of employers and employees.

Specific figures for the negotiations have not been proposed as they need further internal discussions.

The garment, footwear, and travel goods industry is the largest foreign exchange earner for Cambodia. The sector consists of roughly 1,077 factories and branches, employing approximately 800,000 workers, mostly female. Among the factories, there are 802 garment factories, 140 shoe factories, and 134 travel goods factories.

Cambodia exported US$6.27 billion worth of garment, footwear, and travel goods during the first seven months of this year, a decline from the US$7.89 billion exported during the same period last year, according to the trade data of the General Department of Customs and Excise.

The monthly minimum wage for the sector is US$200 in 2023, up from US$194 in 2022. AKP

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The pledge was made by H.E. Dr. Uh Soobong, Chairman of the Human Resource Development Service of Korea in a meeting here yesterday with H.E. Dr. Ith Samheng, Minister of Labour and Vocational Training.

The meeting touched on the way to recruit workers quickly and the project to integrate Cambodian workers after returning home.

H.E. Dr. Ith Samheng thanked the Korean side for the continued recruitment as well as for the care and protection of Cambodian workers despite the COVID-19 crisis. He noted that they made great progress upon their return to Cambodia, with some becoming entrepreneurs and well-known investors.

H.E. Uh Soobong informed H.E. Minister that Korea will organize a skills training program for foreign workers who have completed their term in Korea, and Cambodia may be a priority to receive benefits from the new project, which aims to provide loans to help those workers to be able to run a business with good income.

H.E. Dr. Ith Samheng welcomed the project, saying that Cambodian workers will receive specific skills training to be able to start their own businesses after they complete their work term in Korea.

The Employment Permit System between Cambodia and South Korea was initially signed on Nov. 20, 2006, under the presidency of Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen and H.E. Roh Moo-Hyun, former President of the Republic of Korea.

Cambodian workers mostly work in the industrial, agricultural, and construction sectors in the Republic of Korea. According to the evaluation from the Korean side, the Cambodian workers are honest, diligent, and hardworking.

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