As per the new Cambodian Garment and Footwear Sector Bulletin by International Labour Organisation (ILO), garment exports from Cambodia are on the increasing trend in the first half of the year. According to the report, garment and footwear exports from Cambodia were valued at US $ 3 billion, marking a surge of 12.7 per cent in the period under review compared to the same period in 2014.
Additionally, it has also been noted that employment in the garment and footwear sectors of Cambodia has to gone up by 42,000 people over the first six months of this year, with total employment in registered factories reaching 607,000 in mid-2015. Moreover, ILO Country Office for Thailand appreciated the Royal Government of Cambodia’s decision to increase the minimum wage for workers in the garment and footwear sectors to US $ 140 per month.
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Maurizio Bussi, Officer in Charge of the ILO Country Office for Thailand, Cambodia and Lao People’s Democratic Republic averred, “There were fears in the past that minimum wage rises would cause the industry to falter. The data shows that the sector continued to perform quite well – Cambodia’s market share of garment and footwear exports has continued to rise in recent years. Of course, this positive experience from past minimum wage increases does not guarantee that future increases will necessarily be as benign for the industry.”
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Talking about ILO’s support to the garment sector of Cambodia, Bussi mentioned, “The ILO will continue to respond to requests to provide technical advice and assistance to the tripartite stakeholders. We do hope that data and analysis in the Garment and Footwear Sector Bulletin will be used by stakeholders to inform evidence-based social dialogue around wages and other issues of key importance to the industry.”
