Public Employment Boosts Skills, Jobs in Cambodia

Nearly 100 public employment services (PES) officials in Cambodia have so far received training to enhance their competencies in delivering efficient, high-quality employment services, essential for advancing a more responsive and inclusive labour market that leaves no one behind, particularly groups in vulnerable situations.

A collaboration between the International Labour Organization (ILO) and National Employment Agency (NEA) under the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training Cambodia, the roll-out of the capacity-building training for public employment services officials builds on good practices and innovative strategies shared during a 2024 bilateral knowledge exchange between Cambodia's National Employment Agency, Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training and Indonesia's Ministry of Manpower, organized by the ILO ProSSCE-ASEAN project. By embracing a South-South Cooperation approach, countries in the region can mutually benefit from collective knowledge and shared experiences, enabling more efficient implementation on the ground.

The training consists of an online self-paced course with ILO's adapted module in Khmer, an in-person training of trainers, provincial-level sessions and thematic webinars tailored to Cambodia's latest labour market trends.

"I would like to express my sincere gratitude and high appreciation for the efforts and dedication of the ILO team for their past cooperation and support. This partnership is truly invaluable to us. Employment service counsellors play a vital role in responding to the needs of job seekers and employers. Therefore, capacity-building training for these counsellors is essential to improve their knowledge and skills, especially the quality of employment services they provide. This training, organized in collaboration with the ILO, helps strengthen the skills of career counsellors which will help support jobseekers, including vulnerable groups and persons with disabilities, and contribute to achieving inclusive employment policies by 2050," said Mrs. Hang Sereyvorlak, Deputy Director General of the National Employment Agency, Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training, Cambodia.

"Over the past two and a half years, the ILO projects have worked closely with the National Employment Agency (NEA) to support inclusive labour market initiatives-such as career fairs at national and sub-national levels, capacity building, study visits and workshops-tailored to Cambodia's employment landscape. We are pleased to continue this meaningful collaboration. This four-tiered training programme, designed to build the capacity of PES officials, is not only an investment in skills and knowledge, but also an investment in the future of Cambodia's workforce," said Mr. Sheng Ling, Project Manager, ILO ProSSCE-ASEAN project.

"The four-tiered public employment services training significantly improves my service delivery by strengthening both my technical and interpersonal skills. Each tier of the training provides different but complementary capacities that help me offer more inclusive, efficient, and client-centred services to both jobseekers and employers," said Mr. Keu Chhieng, Chief of Pursat Job Centre, National Employment Agency and participant of the four-tiered public employment services training.

Rolled out with the support of two ILO development cooperation projects, the four-tiered PES training reiterates their sustained dedication to support Cambodia in strengthening its human capital and fostering inclusive growth as outlined in Cambodia's Pentagonal Strategy Phase 1. The projects include Decent Employment for Youth in Cambodia project phase 3 (DEYIII), funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and the Promoting the Global Development Initiative with a Focus on South-South Cooperation in Employment in ASEAN project (ProSSCE-ASEAN), funded by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security of the People's Republic of China.