Cambodia Jobs

Cambodia's real GDP grew at 5.5% in 2002 and an estimated 5.0% in 2003, with almost all of the growth coming from the garment sector. Inflation moderated from 3% in 2002 to an estimated average of 1.3% over 2003. The national currency, the riel, was relatively stable over 2002 but depreciated slightly against the U.S. dollar in 2003. The economy is heavily dollarized; the dollar and riel can be used interchangeably. Cambodia remains heavily reliant on foreign assistance--in 2001, 58% of the central government budget depended on donor assistance. Cambodia has had trouble attracting foreign direct investment (FDI), due in part to the unreliable legal environment. New FDI levels fell steadily from 1999-2001. According to the National Bank of Cambodia (NBC), which tracks actual monies spent as FDI rather than simply the value of approved FDI projects, in 2001 there was $150 million in FDI. In 2002, the NBC recorded $54 million in FDI. In 2003, FDI was also likely under $100 million. The ec ... [Read More]

REMARKS BY U.S. AMBASSADOR CHARLES A. RAY

The results have been dramatic. A tenfold increase in the number of garment factories, and a quarter of a million new jobs; good jobs that generate regular income that filters down to small villages throughout the country. There is international monitoring and oversight to ensure that labor standards and Cambodia’s own labor law are respected. There is a national labor arbitration body to resolve worker-management disputes. It is a model for dispute resolution in a legal system where consistent and transparent application of the law is the exception rather than the rule. There are the beginnings of an independent labor union movement in a country that has never known free unions. This has major implications for the political landscape of Cambodia, spanning every issue from access to information to political participation and orientation. ... [Read More]

Cambodia

The Constitution contains explicit language providing for equal rights for women, equal pay for equal work, and equal status in marriage. In practice, women had equal property rights with men, the same status to bring divorce proceedings, and equal access to education and some jobs; however, cultural traditions continued to limit the ability of women to reach senior positions in business and other areas. According to a 2001 Labor Force Survey, women made up 52 percent of the population, 60 percent of agricultural workers, 85 percent of the business work force, 70 percent of the industrial work force, and 60 percent of all service sector workers. Women often were concentrated in low-paying jobs in these sectors and largely were excluded from management positions. ... [Read More]

Investment Climate Statement

OPIC and Other Investment Insurance Programs Under the Quick Cover Program, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) currently offers financing and political risk insurance coverage for projects on an expedited basis.  Cambodia is eligible for this program, although no U.S. investor has taken advantage of it.  With most investment contracts written in U.S. dollars, there is little exchange ... [Read More]

US Department Of State Post Report

 The climate in Cambodia is hot and humid year round, and care must be taken to avoid prolonged sun exposure, sunstroke, heatstroke, and dehydration. Regular use of sunscreen is recommended, as well as UV protective sunglasses, and a hat or sun visor. Dehydration can be a problem, particularly among children, but consuming proper amounts of water throughout the day can easily prevent it. Employment for Spouses and DependentsLast Updated:  6/9/2005 5:25 AM The U.S. Mission in Phnom Penh has established 19 full-time, part-time and When Actually Employed family member positions within the Mission, mainly in the administrative and clerical sections. In addition, post contracts out the Embassy’s biweekly newsletter, “The Phnom Pen” to interested spouses. (Newsletter issues are posted ... [Read More]

V. Country Narratives -- Countries A through G

Chile is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation and forced labor. Most victims are Chilean minors trafficked internally for sexual exploitation. According to a 2003 study conducted by the Chilean National Department of Children’s Affairs (SENAME), at least 3,700 children were victims of commercial sexual exploitation. Traffickers are known to contact victims and their families directly or through advertisements offering jobs as domestic help, models, or product promoters. Chileans have been trafficked to Argentina, Peru, Bolivia, the United States, Europe, and Asia for sexual exploitation. Foreign victims are brought to Chile for sexual exploitation or involuntary domestic servitude from Peru, Argentina, Colombia, and Bolivia, though authorities find it difficult to distinguish trafficking victims from economic migrants. [Read More]

Cambodia

The Constitution contains explicit language providing for equal rights for women, equal pay for equal work, and equal status in marriage. In practice, women had equal property rights, the same legal status to bring divorce proceedings, and equal access to education and some jobs; however, cultural traditions continued to limit the ability of women to reach senior positions in business and other areas. Demographic trends and a history of conflict have resulted in increasing labor force participation on the part of women. According to the most recent Labor Force Survey, conducted in 2001, women made up 52 percent of the population; 60 percent of agricultural workers; 85 percent of the business work force; 70 percent of the industrial work force, a result of the high proportion of women working in garment factories; and 60 percent of all service sector workers, which was dominated by the tourism industry. Women often were concentrated in low‑paying jobs and largely were ... [Read More]

Cambodia

According to a survey taken in 2001 by a local economics research center, garment workers, earned an average of $61 (232,761 riels) per month, including overtime. However, prevailing monthly wages in the garment sector and many other professions were insufficient to provide a worker and family with a decent standard of living. Civil service salaries also were insufficient to provide a decent standard of living, requiring government officials to secure outside sources of income, in many cases by obtaining second jobs or collecting bribes. ... [Read More]

International Women's Issues Newsletter: Winter 2004

On October 9, 2004, millions of Afghan women and men exercised their right to vote for their President in Afghanistan’s first-ever presidential election. Women comprised some 41% of the more than 8.2 million voters. A woman ran for President!  . . . Afghan women are unstoppable. As First Lady Laura Bush said on October 6, 2004 at the 2004 Fortune Most Powerful Women's Summit in California, "the struggle for women’s rights is a story of ordinary women doing extraordinary things. And today the women of Afghanistan are writing a new chapter in their history." On nearly every front, they are breaking new ground. demanding jobs and access to the commercial sector.  health care, jobs, education, Access to the media as an instrument for human rights and voter education and political participation.   [ full story] USAID photo. ... [Read More]