Tearing at the seams

Cambodian jobs are plotted according to their vulnerability to the economic crisis and their suitability for low-skill workers. Photo by: (SOURCE: EMC)

Garment workers buy snacks during a break outside the Tack Fat garment factory in Phnom Penh on Wednesday. Photo by: Sovan Philong

Thursday, 13 August 2009
By Ith Sothoeuth and James O'Toole
The Phnom Penh Post

Government and NGOs are scrambling to stitch a safety net as the struggling garment industry sheds thousands of jobs.

As the economic downturn tightens its stranglehold on Cambodian exports, the statistics suggest there is more pain to come: The number of labour strikes between January and June has almost doubled since the same period last year. Of the 23 cases, 17 were related to the garment industry, according to the Phnom Penh Municipal Police.

This is just one of many grim indicators for the sector. The Ministry of Commerce predicts garment exports will fall by "at least" 30 percent this year. The Cambodian Development Resource Institute says wages fell by 18 percent between May 2008 and May 2009. Since January, according to the Free Trade Union of Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia, 78 Cambodian garment factories have closed and 30 more have suspended production.

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