Cambodia's 16th Job Fair Achieves Key Objectives with 120,000 Participants

The 16th National Job and Productivity Fair, held in Phnom Penh, concluded on September 13, achieving three major objectives and attracting approximately 120,000 participants, both in-person and online, according to H.E. Heng Sour, Minister of Labour and Vocational Training. The annual fair, themed “Skills and Jobs: Labour Productivity for Sustainable Economic Growth,” took place over two days at the Koh Pich Convention and Exhibition Centre, bringing together nearly 800 participants at its closing ceremony. H.E. Heng Sour stated that the first objective was to provide job-matching and career counselling services through a new “Job Park.” This initiative offers one-stop services for job seekers and students, ranging from CV preparation and career advice to job applications and on-the-spot interviews. He described it as an initial step in shifting the approach from “waiting to serve” to “bringing services closer to the people.” The second objective focused on raising awareness of current and future skills needs. Through panel discussions with key speakers, participants gained a better understanding of the importance of skills and labour productivity in sustaining economic growth and competitiveness, while also helping align training programmes with industrial and technological developments. The third objective was to provide a public discussion platform where high school students could exchange ideas with workers, training providers, employers, and other stakeholders, thereby helping young people better understand the importance of skills in improving productivity. The Minister noted that despite global uncertainties, Cambodia continues to provide employment opportunities, especially for young people in the garment sector. He added that the Royal Government remains committed to improving the investment environment to enable enterprises to expand and increase investment, thereby creating more jobs. According to H.E. Ms. Ouch Cheachanmolika, Director-General of the National Employment Agency, around 20,000 CVs were submitted by job seekers, and companies conducted approximately 5,000 on-site interviews, leading to nearly 3,000 successful job placements. Companies are expected to continue recruiting candidates following the fair. Ms. Helen Kirsch, ILO Representative to Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand, congratulated Cambodia on the successful event. She stressed that the future workforce will require technical, digital, and soft skills, urging young people to continue learning, adapting, and upgrading their skills. The ILO reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Cambodia in promoting more and better jobs, stronger labour-market institutions, higher productivity, and decent work for all. By C. Nika