Cambodian Senate Commends Ministry of Labor's Achievements in Employment, Social Security, and TVET Sectors

Phnom Penh – The Cambodian Senate has highly commended the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training for its significant achievements in the sectors of employment, social security, and technical and vocational education and training (TVET). On July 30, 2026, under the high approval of Prime Minister Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet, a delegation from the Ministry led by Minister Heng Sour met with commissions of the Senate. The meeting was attended by Her Excellency Mean Sam An, Chairperson of the Health, Social Affairs, Veterans, Youth Rehabilitation, Labor, Vocational Training, and Women's Affairs Commission (Commission No. 8); His Excellency Dr. Chhiv Yisear, Chairperson of the Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation, Propaganda, and Information Commission (Commission No. 5); and representatives from the Human Rights, Petition Reception, Investigation, and Inspection Commission (Commission No. 1). The discussions aimed to gain a deeper understanding of the progress in the employment, social security, and TVET sectors. This important meeting was held with the objective of strengthening the relationship, monitoring mechanisms, oversight, and cooperation between the legislative and executive powers, as well as between the Ministry of Labor and the Senate, to further enhance the competitiveness of Cambodia's employment, social security, and TVET sectors in line with regional and global contexts. During the occasion, Minister Heng Sour presented the progress of work achieved by the Ministry in accordance with the Pentagonal Strategy Phase 1, various government policies, and the strategic development plan for the employment, social security, and TVET sectors. He highlighted the progress in implementing the 10-point recommendations of Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen and the 10-point recommendations of Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet. These initiatives have contributed to better protection of the rights and benefits of workers and employers, both formal and informal, and have made the country more attractive to investors, leading to increased job growth. Consequently, the number of enterprises, companies, and factories continued to rise to 47,494 by the first half of 2026, with the number of formal workers reaching 2.3 million during the same period. The Ministry has successfully implemented intervention measures, providing employment opportunities to approximately 650,000 former migrant workers returning from Thailand. The Ministry also continues to pay close attention to promoting harmonious professional relations, implementing the "One Enterprise, One Peaceful Community" competition, improving working conditions, especially occupational safety and health, and strengthening the efficiency of the labor dispute resolution mechanism outside of court. The reconciliation rate for labor disputes at both the ministry and the Arbitration Council levels has reached 95.4%. Concurrently, the Ministry is expanding social security coverage, continuing to implement minimum wage increases for workers, strengthening the enforcement of labor laws, enhancing cooperation with the private sector, expanding TVET institutions, implementing pre-employment skills recognition tests, and developing human resources with high skills, productivity, and competitiveness. This development is responsive to market demands and investment needs, particularly in the TVET sector, focusing on the implementation of 1.5 million programs aligned with labor market requirements, improving digital public services, attracting investments that create quality jobs, and increasing the productivity and competitiveness of the workforce. Representatives from the ten commissions of the Senate praised and highly valued the remarkable progress achieved by the Ministry in the fields of employment, social security, and vocational training, which form the backbone of the Cambodian economy. They also provided several recommendations and suggestions for the Ministry to further enhance its operational efficiency, improve the quality of human resources, and increase the productivity and competitiveness of the Cambodian workforce. Minister Heng Sour expressed his profound gratitude to the honorable Senators and acknowledged the valuable requests and recommendations received, which will be utilized to improve and strengthen the efficiency of work in providing better services to the people, in line with the recommendations and policies of the Royal Government.