Cambodia Discusses Strategies to Extend Social Protection to Informal Workers

The Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training, in collaboration with non-governmental organisations, is continuing its work to disseminate Cambodia’s Roadmap for the “Global Accelerator on Decent Work and Social Protection for Just Transitions” and its implementation progress. A workshop held on July 22 specifically focused on expanding the scope of social security implementation and promoting the formalisation of the informal economy. The event, organised by the ministry, Oxfam, and the International Labour Organization (ILO), saw approximately 250 participants from government institutions, UN agencies, development partners, civil society organisations, and trade unions, as well as representatives of farmers, informal workers, and the self-employed. This initiative is a UN Secretary-General's initiative, launched in September 2021, aiming to support countries in developing policies that create decent jobs, expand social protection coverage, and promote an inclusive and sustainable economic transition. Cambodia joined as a “Pathfinder Country” in July 2023 and adopted its national roadmap in December 2024. The Cambodian Roadmap aligns with phase one of the government’s Pentagonal Strategy and the Cambodia Vision 2050, setting specific targets to boost job creation, social protection, skills development, enterprise development, productivity growth, and an inclusive labour market. This four-year action plan (2025–2028) is being led and coordinated by the labour ministry, and implemented through an inter-ministerial mechanism. According to the joint release, 88% of the workforce in Cambodia is in the informal economy. These workers often have little to no access to social protection or legal labour rights. While Cambodia has made significant progress in expanding social protection — with approximately seven million people, or about 41% of the total population, now receiving healthcare benefits — accelerating the transition of vulnerable workers into legally recognised employment remains a critical national priority. Participants discussed strengthening registration in social security schemes and coverage for workers in the informal economy, including those working for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and the self-employed. Emphasis was placed on ensuring that these workers can access protection through the National Social Security Fund (NSSF). The workshop also reviewed progress in implementing the roadmap and shared experiences regarding efforts to expand social security and find specific solutions to strengthen both mandatory and voluntary registration mechanisms. Recommendations were made regarding the expansion of social protection coverage to informal workers and the self-employed, improving the legal framework and registration for various forms of work, and identifying opportunities for partnership building, resource mobilisation, and collective action. Sophoan Phean, national director of Oxfam in Cambodia, stated that the event demonstrated an inclusive process in seeking solutions and approaches to include and register informal economy workers into the formal economy, where they can receive protection and social security benefits. She noted that the government has established a Joint Technical Working Group, which includes appropriate representation from government institutions, UN agencies, development partners, and organisations representing employers and employees. “However, to further strengthen the principles of inclusive social dialogue and ensure that the voices of vulnerable communities and informal economy workers are reflected in the decision-making process, we request and encourage the formal participation of civil society organisations (CSOs) in the coordination, monitoring and evaluation mechanisms of Cambodia’s Roadmap for this Global Accelerator,” Phean added.