According to a statement from the Cambodian National Basic Wage Committee, the committee will begin discussing the annual increase in monthly basic wages in the clothing, footwear, and travel supplies industries in 2023. The first meeting was attended by government representative Labor Minister Ith Samheng, employer deputy representative Nang Sothy, and employee deputy representative Kim Chansamnang. At the meeting, important statistics such as relevant socio-economic standards were updated to form the basis for basic salary negotiations in 2023, and it was added that employers and employee representatives were affected by the current inflation, competition, market conditions and other opinions.
According to the statement, representatives of both labor and management have not yet proposed specific figures for negotiations because further internal discussions are needed.
According to the Cambodian Ministry of Labor, the clothing, footwear, and travel supplies industry is Cambodia’s largest source of foreign exchange earnings. It consists of approximately 1,100 factories and branches, employing approximately 750,000 workers. According to statistics from the General Administration of Customs of Cambodia, Cambodia exported US$6.6 billion of the above-mentioned products in the first half of this year, an annual increase of 40%. The basic salary in this industry will be US$194 in 2022, higher than US$192 in 2021; but workers can receive other benefits, such as US$7 transportation and housing subsidies, and a monthly attendance bonus of US$10.
