"Debt, food insecurity weighing heavy on unemployed garment workers", 22 January 2021

Yin Yoy was busy doing quality control checks on garments manufactured at New Best Global factory in Kampong Speu province last year. The laborious work, which earned her $200 a month, came to an abrupt halt … after the factory closed down.

At the time, the global supply chain was thrown out of kilter by stagnant production in China, as the manufacturing powerhouse’s COVID-19 case count rose dramatically…

While Yoy is trained to do quality checks on finished products, she never learned to cut, sew or stitch garment – which are a majority of jobs on the factory floor. Being unable to read or write disqualifies her from any administrative jobs.

“I do not know what jobs I can do because I am illiterate and I do not know how to sew,” said Yoy, with a tone of despair…

Unable to find work, Yoy is now a domestic help at a relative’s home, earning around $50 a month. She sent her eldest child, who is 13-years-old, to work at a salon in Preah Sihanouk province. But, the family is earning far less than Yoy’s $200 wage at the factory…

“If I stayed at home with them, I will not have food to eat.”

… Labor Ministry Spokesperson Heng Sour declined to give details about the health of the sector when contacted …

He only said that 129 factories had officially closed at the end of 2020, leaving 71,202 workers jobless. He said 112 new factories opened during that time, offsetting some of the job losses with 23,000 new positions…