Source: Kiripost
Cambodia’s migrant workforce abroad fell by 70 percent from 1.4 million in 2024 to 434,000 by the end of 2025 due to border tensions with Thailand, while low wages and limited job opportunities at home continue to drive many Cambodians to seek better-paying work overseas
Despite low pay and poor working conditions at home driving Cambodians to seek jobs overseas, recent border issues with Thailand have caused the number of registered Cambodian migrant workers to fall from over 1.4 million to 434,000, according to new World Bank data.
Sun Mesa, spokesperson for the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training (MLVT), told Kiripost that there are eight main countries that Cambodians migrate to for work: Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong, as well as Israel, which recently signed deals with Cambodia.
“It is not only Cambodia that has people migrating to work outside the country, but also people from other countries come to work in Cambodia and others. Some people migrate to seek job opportunities, while some want to learn new things to upgrade their skills for future use,” Mesa added.
He noted that Cambodia opening up for citizens to work abroad forms part of the government’s strategy to enable people to develop more skills and earn a better income. Mesa also emphasised that migrants make the decision to work abroad independently.
When asked how many Cambodian migrant workers are currently registered as working outside the country, the spokesperson responded that he will issue an update once the technical team has completed recording the figures.
However, according to the Cambodia Economic Update June 2026 by the World Bank, “Cambodia’s overseas migrant workforce contracted sharply by 70 percent, falling to just 434,000 by December 2025, as in 2024, the country saw 1,406,000 migrant workers.
“This collapse was precipitated by border tensions with Thailand in mid-2025, driving a sudden influx of nearly a million returnees and placing severe strain on domestic labour markets. Despite this pressure, state-led reintegration efforts have gained significant traction.”
The report records 345,000 Cambodians remaining in Thailand, 44,000 in South Korea, 21,900 in Japan and 21,600 in Malaysia, while in Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong, the number is about 200 individuals.
Socio-economic analyst Chey Tech, said migrant workers form an important part of Cambodia’s economy, sending money home, which is then ploughed back into the country’s coffers. This also allows them to finance houses and land back at home, and support their family’s livelihoods.
“Normally, people always look for better conditions,” he added. “If they can find better job opportunities with better pay abroad, they always decide to go, especially in South Korea and Singapore.”
Tech added that while some opt to work abroad, there are job opportunities in Cambodia, especially in the industry, agriculture, tourism and service sectors. However, a lack of transparency regarding working conditions and low pay often drive people to seek work overseas.
Cambodia Economic Update states that in 2025, an additional approximate 800,000 jobs were created in the Kingdom, including 401,000 in the formal sector. It added that reintegration efforts, such as competency-based assessments and direct factory referrals, supported approximately 620,000 returnees into employment.
However, the report noted that despite this, about 230,000 migrant workers who returned from Thailand remain unemployed.
“A significant structural mismatch persists between the returnee profiles, typically older, male, and rural, and labour demand, which remains concentrated in younger, female-intensive manufacturing near Phnom Penh,” it said.
“Addressing this gap will require coordinated skills recognition, targeted training and short-term employment programmes, particularly in high-poverty and returnee-concentrated areas.”
Previously, MLVT’s spokesperson confirmed that the ministry is committed to helping returning workers find employment.
Khun Tharo, Programme Manager for the Centre for Alliance of Labour and Human Rights (CENTRAL), told Kiripost that Cambodian migrant workers’ job-seeking behavior is primarily driven by two interrelated factors: income motivation and structural constraints in the domestic labour market.
“Many workers indicate they would remain in Cambodia if wages were sufficient, but migrate due to significantly higher earnings abroad, leading them to prioritise higher-paying jobs even when working conditions are uncertain or risky,” he said.
At the same time, limited employment opportunities, lack of stable jobs and a growing number of low-skilled young workers entering the labour market push them to seek work overseas as an alternative, Tharo added.
“As a result, workers often accept any available job overseas quickly, particularly in high-demand sectors such as construction, manufacturing, agriculture and domestic work, driven more by urgency and income needs than by job quality or long-term security.”