Gender and Labor Market Issues in Cambodia Sreymom

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GENDER AND LABOR MARKET ISSUES IN

CAMBODIA

SUM Sreymom15th August 2012, Cambodia

The views expressed in this paper are the views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Asian Development Bank

(ADB), or its Board of Governors, or the governments they represent. ADB does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this paper and

accepts no responsibility for any consequence of their use. The countries listed in this paper do not imply any view on ADB's part as to sovereignty

or independent status or necessarily conform to ADB's terminology.


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OUTLINE

A. Current Overarching Policies

B. Important Policy Provisions Which Can Assist

Womens Employment

C. Application of Particular Policies to Enhance

Womens Employment

D. Conclusion Remarks

E. Selective References

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A. CURRENT OVERARCHING POLICIES

The key overarching policy on economic development within

Rectangular Strategy

The National Strategic Development Plan (NSDP) update 2009-2013

The government requires all ministries and agencies to implementthe Rectangular Strategy using NSDP and meet the target ofCambodias Millennium Development Goals (CMDGs) currentlyCMDG (2005-2015)

Most important policy is the Neary Rattanak III (2009-2013)

The overall employment strategy in Cambodia is presently containedwithin the combination of the Rectangular Strategy, the NSDP (2009 -2013) and the CMDG (2005-2015).

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:

Promoting private-sector growth and employment development

To enhance private-sector development andemployment :

strengthening the private sector and attracting investment;

creating jobs and ensuring improved work conditions of employees;

promoting small and medium enterprises; and creating social safety nets.

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B. IMPORTANT POLICY PROVISIONSWHICH CAN ASSIST WOMENS EMPLOYMENT


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The (2009-2013), MoWAs five years strategic plan

Strategic area 1: ,

The objective is to obtain: enhanced socio-economic status of womenthrough gender equitable poverty reduction and rural developmentprogrammes, expansion of employment and business opportunitiesand protection of women workers rights, in particular for :

vulnerable,

the poor,

the unemployed, and

the disabled girls and women

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B. IMPORTANT POLICY PROVISIONSWHICH CAN ASSIST WOMENS EMPLOYMENT (CONT.)


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C. APPLICATION OF PARTICULAR POLICIESTO ENHANCE WOMENS EMPLOYMENT

1. MoWA Targets under Neary Rattanak III

2. Employment

i. Overall Policy

ii. Micro, Small, Medium Business Enterprises

iii. Rural Women

3. Training for Work4. Labor Market Supports

5. Social Security and Health

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MOWA TARGETS UNDER NEARY RATTANAK III

MoWA has identified 2 major targets:

1. To expand and improve employment opportunities, including those in theinformal sector

2. To establish business development services for MSMEs

Actions required for these targets include: search for the needs and opportunities to improve economic conditions of

women, and search for occupation needs

facilitate enhanced partnerships between government agencies, civil societyactors, private sector to develop mechanisms for promoting womensentrepreneurship;

cooperate with relevant line ministries to ensure training and scholarshipprogrammes meet women needs;

facilitate development of mechanisms to support employment opportunities forvulnerable women including women who are illiterate, from ethnic minority,indigenous women, and women with disabilities;

set up a Womens (information/resource)Centre targeting young women, to

promote informed choice through particular support programmes and actions7


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EMPLOYMENT OVERALL POLICY

Currently contained in the combination of 3 policies ( RectangularStrategy, the NSDP (2009 - 2013) and the CMDG (2005-2015).

ILO has recommended that there be an overallgender sensitive

The NESP strategy is to encompass mainstreaming employment,especially for women, rural and vulnerable workers into:

macroeconomic policies,

sectoral policies,

skill development policies,

migration policies, and

enterprise development policies

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EMPLOYMENT MICRO, SMALL, MEDIUM BUSINESS ENTERPRISES

, identifies improving the business climate for smalland medium enterprises development as a priority, focusing on 4main aspects:

the legal and regulatory framework;

financing;

supportive actions for small and medium enterprises;

and integrating small and medium enterprises into a global value chainincluding prevention of smuggling

The MoWA recommendations and transforming Women inDevelopment Centres (WID)

The encourages interventions, entrepreneurshipand self-confidence in rural areas but it does not contain include aspecific gendered approach

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EMPLOYMENT RURAL WOMEN

Women comprise the majority of rural workers, mostly unpaid

Rural women are at a disadvantage in efforts to improve productivity

in farm jobs and non-farm employment

Not the focus of extension services

Limited access to credit,

Limitations on women owning land, particularly women who head

households,

Land law includes measures to ensure rights of women at law but

low levels of literacy can limit their access to entitlements.

Often lack information about markets and technology,

Needs of rural women need to be specifically addressed, preferably

as part of a suite of measures to designed to reduce poverty

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TRAINING FOR WORK

Vocational and technical training offered by the public sector towomen is basically confined to traditional womens skills (Ex: sewing,hairdressing and beauty-maintenance related skills (MoWA, 2008)

The General Directorate for Technical and Vocational Education and

Training (TVET) administers 38 training institutes and centres, whichmainly offer training to school dropouts throughout the country (MoLVT2010)

The Ministry of Womens Affairs has established 11 Women Development

Centres to provide market-oriented skills training, business developmenttraining services and socio-cultural support

Women were more likely to be enrolled in public primary short-termtraining compared to men, who were more likely to be engaged in

longer term and technical programs (ILO, 2010) 11


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LABOR MARKET SUPPORTS

The domestic responsibilities, social norms and low income are the

major constraints of women for women entering or continuing to work

in labor markets.

After maternity leave working mothers in formal economysector,

informal sectors, and women migrants who work in urban areas.

Need for the Government to develop a national strategy on childcare

to build on some of the legislative measures

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LABOR MARKET SUPPORTS (CONT.)

extending a requirement for workplaces above certain sizes to provide child care centres

nursery rooms inside the work place or

to provide child care services for them

Provide Government funded or partly funded day-care centres in

urban areas to be well operated and located near working places

Government to assist cooperatives of women in rural areas to employlocal trained persons to care for children in the village or in the localityof work.

MoLVT plays important role to enforce implementation of Labor Lawprovision on child care services for female employees;

The MoEYS to improve the early child education programme to providegood quality of day-care centres and kindergartens in both urban and

rural areas. 13


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SOCIAL SECURITY AND HEALTH

Cambodia has faced many challenges in relation to social protectionconcerning basic health and education

The major social protection programs are a mix of:

social security services,

the National Social Safety Fund (NSSF), Health Equity Fund,

Community-Based Health Insurance and many other programs

One of the major problems has been the lack of protection for

informal workers who are not covered by the Law on Labor andtherefore cannot rely on the Law on Social Security Schemes forbenefits and protection

Recently, a National Social Protection Strategy for the Poor andVulnerable (NSPSPV) has been developed with ILO assistance

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SOCIAL SECURITY AND HEALTH (CONT.)

The main goal of the NSPS-PV: is that the most disadvantagedcitizens are over the coming years increasingly protected againstchronic poverty and hunger, shocks, destitution and social exclusion,and benefit from greater investments in their human capital.

The ILO in its present DWCP 2011-2015 has indicated that itscontribution to the Social Protection Strategy will be fourfold:

A coordination mechanism needs to be established at national anddecentralized level to

The financial sustainability of investing in social protection needs to

be demonstrated The benefit of investing in social protection needs to be

demonstrated and the progressive graduation from poverty todecent work supported

The further implementation of social protection schemes needs tobe continued and supported

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C. CONCLUSION REMARKS

The Cambodian government has identified a number of prioritisedpolicies, strategies, and targets in order to address the needs of womenrelated to such as employment, education, health, security, genderequity, and reducing gender inequality.

The problems for women are not with the policies, but the lack of

implementation, due in part to a lack of coordination, failure of aspecific ministry to have ultimate responsibility for the implementation,the need to take a programmed approach as well as limitations of funds.

The commitment of the development partners to assist with these tasksby taking a capacity building approach with the government ministries is

a vital key to achieving real outcomes for women, using a moreprogramme based approach.

Training programmes designed by both government and developmentpartners should include follow-up activities so as to keep track of theoutcomes and challenges related the programmes.

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THANK YOU

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Gender and Labor Market Issues in Cambodia Sreymom