ILO welcomes Cambodian National Employment Policy

PHNOM PENH (ILO News) - The official adoption of Cambodia’s first-ever National Employment Policy (NEP) has been welcomed by the head of the International Labour Organization (ILO) office for the country.

The NEP, which covers the period 2015-2025, was formally launched by the Prime Minister Hun Sen in a ceremony on Thursday 22 October at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh, in the presence of senior government officials, employers’ and workers’ representatives and development partners.

The development of the NEP was supported by the ILO and is the result of wide-ranging consultations that brought together 20 Government Ministries and agencies, employers’ and workers’ organizations and other key actors from the world of work.

The NEP has three strategic goals; to increase decent and productive employment opportunities, to enhance skills and human resources development, and to strengthen labour market governance. The document outlines strategies to address the challenges of creating sufficient jobs to meet the needs of Cambodia’s young and growing population. It also stresses the need for these jobs to be decent and inclusive.

Samdech Prime Minister Hun Sen said; “The launch of the National Employment Policy is a necessity which is very much in line with the Rectangular Strategy Phase 3. This Policy will contribute to achieving a sustainable growth, improving livelihoods and promoting social harmony through decent and productive employment for all".

Dr Ith Sam Heng, Minister of Labour and Vocational Training, said, "This National Employment Policy is an invaluable new treasure of Cambodia. The policy has been formulated to respond to new challenges which will emerge in the Cambodian labour market across different stages of socio-economic development and changes in economic architecture".

Mr Maurizio Bussi, Officer-in-Charge of the ILO Country Office for Thailand, Cambodia and Lao People's Democratic Republic commended the tripartite partners for their active and informed contributions during the development of the policy, and the way they had taken ownership of the matter. “This policy is very much in line with the new global framework outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals. It focuses on Decent Work and economic growth and places job creation at the heart of economic policy-making and the national development strategy. It is already putting into action the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”.

For more information please contact:

Sophorn Tun

ILO National Coordinator for Cambodia,

Email:

Tel.: +855 23 220 817