It appears to be the first time that Cambodian media have reported that Cambodians returning from Thailand, due to border tensions, are struggling to find the jobs promised by their government.
The Khmer Times dispatched its reporters to Trapeang Phong village in Kampong Speu, the country’s largest industrial province, and found that, despite authorities reporting 23,000 available positions nationwide, many returnees faced repeated rejections.
Vorn Phal, 40, who returned with her two children, applied to seven factories, but was turned away due to age preferences and appearance requirements, spending nearly $100 in application fees.
Other returnees, including pregnant worker Sreysros, reported similar challenges, with high demands in productivity, multiple-task assignments and strict supervision, making factory work challenging, particularly for older workers.
Neth, 42, remained unemployed and sought small business opportunities, citing limited access to capital and high-interest informal loans.
While local officials attempted to match returnees with available factory positions, support from the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training was largely limited to transport from the border.
Experts noted that skill gaps, unrecognised prior work experience, debt and missing documentation contribute to widespread unemployment.
Sebastian George, CEO of MV Group Cambodia, highlighted that falling paddy and cassava prices have made agriculture an unreliable fallback for returnees, warning of rising debt, food insecurity and economic strain in rural communities.
He called for minimum crop support prices, investment in storage and processing infrastructure, low-interest loans and measures to improve domestic and regional market access, to stabilise incomes and sustain rural livelihoods.
