Japanese companies face domestic employee shortage

People attend a job fair for Japanese companies in Phnom Penh yesterday. Photograph: Hong Menea/Phnom Penh Post

Thursday, 19 July 2012
Rann Reuy
The Phnom Penh Post

Japanese companies are facing a shortage of skilled workers which is hindering progress in Japanese-owned electronic factories, the Japanese Business Association of Cambodia (JBAC) said.

The statement comes after the Asian Development Bank said in April that a shortage of skilled workers would continue to hinder Cambodia’s economic progress.

Japanese companies currently need about 20,000 to 30,000 skilled workers but employee approximately 10,000 workers, said Kiyotaka Doho, general secretary of JBAC, which consists of 114 Japanese companies.

In late 2011, there were 86 Japanese companies registered in Cambodia in the first six months of this year and another 68 companies registered at the Ministry of Commerce, Kiyotaka Doho said during a Japanese companies job fair yesterday.

តើ​មូលហេតុ​អ្វី​បាន​ជា​ពលរដ្ឋ​ខ្មែរ​ធ្វើ​ចំណាកស្រុក​ក្នុង​ខណៈពេល​ដែល​ទីផ្សារ​ក្នុង​ស្រុក​កំពុង​ខ្វះ​កម្លាំង​ពលកម្ម? - Why are Cambodian workers leaving the country when manpower is in demand?

រោងចក្រ​កាត់​ដេរ​ស្បែកជើង​គំរូ (ញឹម សុផល)

02 July 2012
ដោយ គី សុខលីម
Radio France Internationale

ទោះបីសត្វ ​ក៏ចេះស្រឡាញ់ សំបុក របស់វាដែរ ចុះពលរដ្នខ្មែរ វិញ ស្រុករបស់ខ្លួន សម្បូរសម្បាយ ការងារធ្វើ មិនអស់ ហេតុអ្វី ក៏ចេះតែនាំ គ្នាទៅថៃ ឬម៉ាឡេ ឲ្យគេធ្វើ បាបអញ្ចឹង???

Synopsis: While there is a great demand for workers in Cambodia, Cambodian workers are still leaving in large number to work overseas. This in spite of the hardships they have to suffer from illegal border crossing etc… Why is it so? For one thing, low wages for factory workers - $61 per month – make it such that the workers can barely survive on their income. The other main issue faced by the Cambodian workforce is the lack of skill and technical knowledge due to poor education. Because of this latter issue, factories have to hire foreign skilled engineers instead. In order to solve these two major sticking points, the government must take immediate action on the workers’ wages and initiate training for skilled workers.

កម្ពុជា​កំពុង​ខ្វះខាត​កម្លាំង​ពលកម្ម​ក្នុង​ស្រុក​ជា​ច្រើន​​ប៉ុន្តែ​ព្រមពេល​ជាមួយគ្នា​បែរ​ជា​មាន​ពលករ​ខ្មែរ​យ៉ាង​ច្រើន​សន្ធឹកសន្ធាប់​​ធ្វើ​ចំណាកស្រុក​ទៅ​ក្រៅ​ប្រទេស​ដូច​ជា​ទៅ​ប្រទេស​ថៃ​ឬ​​​ប្រទេស​ផ្សេង​ទៀត។ តើ​នេះ​បណ្តាល​មក​ពី​មូលហេតុ​អ្វី?

សមាគម​ថៅកែ​រោងចក្រ​កាត់ដេរ​តែងតែ​និយាយ​ថា ពួកគេ​ខ្វះ​កម្លាំង​ពលកម្ម​នៅ​ក្នុង​វិស័យនេះ។ វិស័យ​កាត់ដេរ​ត្រូវការ​កម្មករ​ជំនាញ​កាត់ដេរ ជំនាញ​ពិនិត្យ​គុណភាព ជំនាញ​ជួសជុល​ម៉ាស៊ីន ជំនាញ​ច្នៃ​ម៉ូត​និង​ជំនាញ​ដទៃ​មួយ​ចំនួន​ផ្សេងទៀត។ នាពេល​កន្លងមក ដោយសារ​កម្ពុជា​ខ្វះ​កម្មករ​ជំនាញ​ខាង​ធ្វើ​ម៉ូត​សម្លៀក​បំពាក់ រោងចក្រ​មួយ​ចំនួន​បាន​ប្រើប្រាស់​​កម្មករ​ជំនាញ​ជនជាតិ​បរទេស។

លើសពីនេះទៅទៀត កាល​ពីពេល​ថ្មីៗ​កន្លងមក​នេះ លោក​នាយក​រដ្ឋ​មន្ត្រី ហ៊ុន សែន បាន​ប្រកាស​ទទួល​ស្គាល់​ថា ប្រទេស​កម្ពុជា​កំពុង​ស្ថិត​ក្នុង​ដំណាក់​កាល​ខ្វះ​កម្លាំង​ពលកម្ម​ ទាំង​ក្នុង​​វិស័យ​សំណង់ វិស័យ​កសិកម្ម រហូតដល់​វិស័យ​ឧស្សាហកម្ម។ ប្រមុខរាជ​រដ្ឋាភិបាល​បាន​អំពាវនាវ​អោយ​ពលករ​ខ្មែរ​ដែល​សម្រុក​ទៅ​ធ្វើ​ការ​ខុសច្បាប់​នៅ​ប្រទេស​ថៃ​ត្រូវ​វិល​មក​រក​ការងារ​នៅ​ក្នុង​ស្រុក​វិញ។ លោក​បាន​ពន្យល់​ថា ការងារ​ក្រៅ​ស្រុក​មាន​ការ​លំបាក​ណាស់​បើទោះបី​ជា​ទទួល​បាន​ប្រាក់​កម្រៃ​ខ្ពស់​បន្តិច​មែន។ ពួកគេ​ត្រូវ​​ទៅ​ឆ្ងាយ​ពី​ផ្ទះ ឆ្ងាយ​ពី​ប្រពន្ធ​កូន និង​ត្រូវ​ចំណាយ​ច្រើន​ទៀត​ផង។ លើស​ពី​នេះ ពួកគេ​ក៏​ប្រឈម​នឹង​គ្រោះ​ថ្នាក់​ផង​ដែរ។

High Schools Underprepared for High Tech: Expert

(Photo: AP)

Pich Samnang, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh Wednesday, 15 September 2010

“How can students be obliged to learn the ICT without those facilities? It’s useless.”

When it comes to information technology curriculum, high schools have a long way to go.

“The lack of electricity and computer sets in schools is a main obstacle for the implementation of the use of ICT in senior high school education,” Kheng Piseth, Khmer OS program manager at the Open Institute, told “Hello VOA” on Monday.

“How can students be obliged to learn the ICT without those facilities?” he said. “It’s useless.”

In 2009, the Ministry of Education began developing an information communication technology, or ICT, program as a new subject for students in grades 11 and 12. The hope was to equip them with skills for their advanced education.

The new program was initially planned to kick off later this year. But only 80 of the nation's 383 high schools have computer access—with only 25 computers in some and only one in others—according to government figures. Only about half of the schools have electricity.

Meanwhile, around 100,000 students are enrolled in high schools across the country.

The ministry acknowledges its scheme has been hard to achieve in the short run.

“We cannot expect to implement it soon,” said Sok Tha, head of the ministry's ICT education department, who is in charge of the new subject. “But we may start the new subject as an alternative subject for students whose schools are already electrified and equipped with computers.”

Kheng Piseth said it is a good idea to start teaching ICT in already-equipped schools, but he added that all the necessary infrastructure for the new program should be ensured.

“Students with strong ICT skills are more likely to enter job markets than those without them,” he said.

Salaries on the rise in Cambodia [... yet poverty still worsening, why?]

08/10/2007
Australian Broadcasting Corporation

A human resources company, which has been tracking wages in Cambodia for the past three years has found that Cambodians are being paid higher wages.

In its third salary survey, HR Incorporated has found staff employed by the Khmer Rouge war crimes tribunal are not the only ones being paid big salaries.

The company says it is carried out a number of surveys in a handful of industries including the garment sector, micro-finance and non government organisations.

HR consultant Sandra D'Amico has told the Phnom Penh Post that wages for managers and skilled technical staff are jumping because of talent shortages in almost every industry.

The paper says with economic growth at 10.5 per cent for 2007, the kingdom is creating new jobs in many areas, but many companies are still bringing in managers from Cambodia's neighbours such as Singapore and Malaysia.