Working conditions in Cambodia are best for those with good education who can find modern sector employment, particularly in the rapidly growing service sector such as in tourism or banking. There are also now in Cambodia a large number of both international and local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) which hire more educated Cambodians for work on diverse development projects.
Those working in the public sector, such as public school teachers, face the problem of receiving extremely low wages. Thus, they often are forced to take other part-time work to pay for their expenses.
Farmers possessing their own adequate land can enjoy a certain degree of affluent subsistence, if they can
GDP per Capita (US$) | |||||
Country | 1975 | 1980 | 1985 | 1990 | 1998 |
Cambodia | N/A | N/A | N/A | 240 | 279 |
United States | 19,364 | 21,529 | 23,200 | 25,363 | 29,683 |
China | 138 | 168 | 261 | 349 | 727 |
Nepal | 149 | 148 | 165 | 182 | 217 |
SOURCE: United Nations. Human Development Report 2000; Trends in human development and per capita income. |
Distribution of Income or Consumption by Percentage Share: Cambodia | |
Lowest 10% | 2.9 |
Lowest 20% | 6.9 |
Second 20% | 10.7 |
Third 20% | 14.7 |
Fourth 20% | 20.1 |
Highest 20% | 47.6 |
Highest 10% | 33.8 |
Survey year: 1997 | |
Note: This information refers to expenditure shares by percentiles of the population and is ranked by per capita expenditure. | |
SOURCE: 2000 World Development Indicators [CD-ROM]. |
grow adequate rice, fruit, and vegetables and have access to fish resources. Recently, however, farmers, especially from western Cambodia, have complained about losing their land to business interests planning various kinds of development or agribusiness .
For those working in the rapidly expanding garment industry, there is concern about working conditions and low wages, though these jobs are desperately needed. Conditions are likely to vary considerably depending on the sub-contractors involved. Also, it is not appropriate to look simply at salaries of such workers in dollar terms. People with modern sector jobs tend to pool their "low" salaries in extended family situations. Also costs are much lower in Cambodia than in many other countries, particularly more advanced industrial countries.