Cambodia prepare another 12 million USD to help laid-off

Garment workers leave a factory in Phnom Penh after their day’s work (Source: Khmer Times)

Phnom Penh (VNA) – Cambodia is preparing another 12 million USD as assistance for jobless workers as factories remain closed, Cambodian Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training spokesman Heng Sour has said.

About 110,000 workers of 344 factories and firms in Cambodia have received unemployment benefits, he added.

The ravaging COVID-19 pandemic has dealt a heavy blow to hundreds of thousands of workers in the garment and service sectors, especially tourism and hospitality, which use 620,000 workhands.

The ministry is in a partnership with Wing Specialized Bank to notice workers to receive their assistance after information registration.

A combined 2.4 million USD were transferred to Wing accounts between May 28 and June 3, Heng Sour noted.

According to the World Bank, COVID-19 is putting at least 1.76 million jobs in Cambodia at risks, driving the country’s unemployment rate to nearly 20 percent./.