- 2025-09-26
Cambodia has announced an increase in the minimum wage to $210
ASEAN Headline News: As of January 1, 2026, the monthly minimum wage for workers in Cambodia's textile, clothing, footwear, tourism, and luggage manufacturing industries will be adjusted to $210.
On September 17, 2025, the Fourth National Minimum Wage Committee of Cambodia held its final meeting at the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training of Cambodia to discuss the possibility of adjusting the minimum wage for workers in the textile, clothing, footwear, tourism, and luggage industries in 2026.
During the 23 consecutive meetings, representatives of workers and employers fully understood the potential impact of retaliatory tariffs from the United States, the competitiveness and positioning of Cambodia's minimum wage level in the international context, and the actual situation of the labor market from 2025 to 2026. The employer representatives proposed maintaining the current minimum wage standard unchanged, and the worker representatives did not raise any objections. At the same time, they requested the Royal Government of Cambodia to study the possibility of further increasing wages based on the employer's proposal in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Minimum Wage Law.
Based on the above discussions, the National Minimum Wage Committee of Cambodia submitted a minimum wage recommendation of $210 (approximately 1,478 RMB) to Prime Minister Hong Manna for review and final decision. After a comprehensive assessment report and further consultation with relevant parties, Hong Manna decided to increase the minimum wage by $2 on the basis of the $208 recommended by the National Minimum Wage Committee. Therefore, as of January 1, 2026, the monthly minimum wage for workers in the textile, clothing, footwear, tourism, and luggage manufacturing industries will be adjusted to $210 (approximately 1,492 RMB). Including other benefits, the actual monthly income of Cambodian workers is expected to reach $227 to $238 (approximately 1,620 to 1,691 RMB).
Although the current economic situation still has uncertainties, and most countries in the region have not raised the minimum wage, the Cambodian government still decided to increase the minimum wage for workers in these industries, regardless of the size of the enterprises, in order to effectively help workers cope with the pressure of living costs.