Cambodia Crunch

A prospective Cambodian employee will pay a bribe of a month wages just to get on the payroll of a clothes manufacturing company; although the hours are long and working conditions sometimes poor a worker can earn twice the average Cambodian wage. Nearly 90% of Cambodian exports are derived from the clothing industry.

But, Cambodian exporting levels continue to tumble as the effects of the financial crisis show no sign of abating. July exports fell by a massive annualised 26.4 percent; that exceeds the decrease experienced in June and spells big trouble for an industry already battling both low-cost Chinese companies and the recent loss of guaranteed U.S Quotas.

This means job losses, massive job losses with 70,000 garment works having already been laid-off. 200,000 more jobs remain at risk. And this means more and more kids being pulled from school as financially crippled-parents cannot afford the costs involved. Many will not only be taken out of school but they will be sent out to find work, work that no child should be expected to endure.

Edit 7th December 2009: The sight of young boys collecting rubbish into heavy hand-carts is particularly noticeable in Phnom Penh.

It's hard, hot, solitary work with no prospects and meagre financial rewards.