PM urges youth to prep for success

PRIME Minister Hun Sen encouraged young Cambodians to prepare themselves as throngs of eager jobseekers descend on Phnom Penh’s Koh Pich Centre on Saturday and Sunday for the ninth annual National Career and Productivity Fair.

“Nieces, nephews and youth should draft cover letters and be prepared to submit their applications and be interviewed immediately [on-site]. May all nieces, nephews and youth get jobs.

“This is a good opportunity for young people who are ready to find jobs. There are high-quality opportunities in all kinds [of industries] available,” he said on Facebook.

The fair will host more than 150 Cambodian and international firms prepared to offer 20,000 positions.

Jobseekers, workplace trainers, recruiters and employers will attend the fair, which aims to improve access to the Kingdom’s job market and reduce the disparity between supply and demand for jobseekers and employers alike, Hun Sen said.

Cambodia first held the fair in 2011, intending to develop the economy and reduce poverty.

This year’s event is co-organised by the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training, the National Employment Agency (NEA) and the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia.

Firms in the banking, microfinance, construction, hospitality, telecommunications and technical education sectors will join recruitment agencies to host 30 booths from 8am to 8pm, NEA director Hay Hunleng told reporters at a press conference on Monday.

Hunleng said participants will also have the opportunity to learn about human resources requirements and policies, recruitment trends, education programmes, scholarships and skills development programmes.

A ministry press release said attendees would also receive tips on improving their work performance and how to develop skills in line with the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Community Legal Education Centre labour head Mouen Tola said on Thursday that some 400,000 people entered the workforce each year, and around 70,000 students had graduated from high school this year, the majority of whom entered the job market immediately.

He said it was important that employers limited the number of positions available to non-Cambodians to meet the needs of recent graduates.

Tola told The Post: “There are already websites that share job announcements for the public sector, but I’ve noticed that the quality of the positions in regards to working conditions, wages and the like do not resonate with young people.”