According to Lord Li Kuntai, Honorary President of the Cambodian Footwear and Travel Products Chamber of Commerce, the COVID-19 epidemic has had an impact on the Cambodian shoe and travel products industry, and some manufacturers were once forced to suspend operations. operations, but has now resumed full production. Some manufacturers are also facing labor shortages and hope to obtain assistance from the Ministry of Labor to recruit more workers for production lines.
On the morning of the 6th, Lord Li Kuntai, together with Lin Tong (transliteration), executive chairman of the Footwear and Travel Goods Chamber of Commerce, and directors went to visit the Minister of Labor Yi Senxing . He said that the Chamber of Commerce was established in 2019 and then encountered the global outbreak of the new coronavirus pneumonia. The Chamber of Commerce plans to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Labor to further strengthen the cooperative relationship between the two parties, including participating in various forums organized by the government at the invitation of the Ministry of Labor, so as to convey information to members and attract more foreign investment to set up factories in Cambodia, thereby Create more jobs. He said the chamber of commerce also hopes to further cooperate with the Ministry of Labor to assist some shoe and travel goods manufacturers in recruiting workers to solve the labor shortage problem.
Minister Yi Senxing welcomed the meeting with the leadership of the Cambodian Footwear and Travel Goods Chamber of Commerce, believing that the Chamber of Commerce is a government and private sector established in response to the needs of the continuous development of the industry. New platform. He supports the drafting and signing of a memorandum of understanding on cooperation between the Chamber of Commerce and the Ministry of Labor so that members can participate in various official meetings organized by the Ministry of Labor.
He emphasized that the Cambodian Shoe and Travel Products Chamber of Commerce, which is open to domestic and foreign investors as members, will be able to play a coordinating role within the tripartite framework of the government, labor and management, Contribute to enforcing government regulations, fulfilling manufacturer obligations, safeguarding workers’ interests and resolving labor disputes. In response to the labor shortage problem in some manufacturers, Minister Yi Senxing suggested that the chamber of commerce cooperate with the national employment agency under the Ministry of Labor to publish employee recruitment information to job seekers and attract workers to apply for vacancies. He also allowed members of the chamber of commerce to directly contact various technical and vocational training colleges under the Ministry of Labor to find suitable technical personnel.
The local community transmission of COVID-19 broke out in Cambodia in early 2021, forcing the government to decide to implement a three-week “blockade” on the capital Phnom Penh and the neighboring city of Dajin Ou in April. City Order,” resulting in the temporary closure of garment, shoe and travel goods factories. In any case, after Cambodia successfully launched a nationwide vaccination campaign and achieved high vaccination rates, the epidemic in Cambodia has eased in the second half of the year, and the government has decided to promote the resumption of opening up various economic and social fields in mid-November.
According to data released by the Ministry of Finance and Economy, in the first nine months of last year, the total export value of Cambodia’s shoes and travel supplies was US$998 million and US$1.043 billion respectively, a year-on-year increase of 9.5%. % and 29.5%, while the export of travel goods also surpassed shoes for the first time. Among them, the total export value of shoes and travel supplies in the third quarter (July-September) of last year was US$360 million and US$419 million respectively, a year-on-year surge of 48.2% and 79.4% respectively.
