Phnom Penh: The Cambodian government has responded to the high demand for jobs in the country, especially for migrant workers who recently returned from abroad, by providing more job opportunities and benefits than neighboring countries.

According to Ministry of Labor spokesman Sun Mesa, "In response to the uncertainty of the new Thai government's policy, which has not yet made a decision on Cambodian workers working in Thailand, Cambodia has more job opportunities, more benefits, and adequate worker protection mechanisms to help Cambodian workers find jobs when they return to their homeland."

In response to a question from reporters on February 18, 2026, Sun Mesa pointed out that the Thai government is currently not yet clear about Cambodian workers working in Thailand, which has made some people concerned about their job security, while the Cambodian side has not yet received any official notification from the Thai side.

He said: “We are closely monitoring this uncertainty… I would also like to emphasize that in Cambodia there are tens of thousands of jobs that can provide decent income for workers in case they want to find work in the local. In our local, there are many benefits from the NSSF We have more and more, which can help their families through the voluntary contribution system. In addition, even if you do not have skills, we have organized short training courses and can receive funds from the first day of school. So there is nothing to worry about.”

He said that employees and workers working in Cambodia have the opportunity to receive high salaries similar to those in Thailand, as well as health care services through the National Social Security Fund (NSSF), occupational accident insurance, and pensions, while in Thailand, none of these services are available to support Cambodian workers who do not have sufficient documents.

According to the Ministry of Labor, as of January 2026, more than 960,000 Cambodian citizens and former workers, including 630,000 former workers, have returned to Cambodia after the Cambodia-Thailand border dispute.