SIEM REAP - The International Labour Organization (ILO) partnered with the École d’Hôtellerie et de Tourisme Paul Dubrule (EHT) for the second year to organize the largest career fair in Siem Reap, Cambodia to promote high-quality employment opportunities in the hospitality and tourism sector while raising awareness about decent working conditions and rights and responsibilities at work. The Open Career Fair 2023 attracted over 1,000 participants, particularly young people from universities, technical vocational and education training schools (TVET) and NGOs and more than 130 private sector representatives from various sectors such as hospitality, tourism, banking and retail, offering 600 job openings not only in Cambodia but also abroad. We were honoured with the presence of Mr. François Schnoebelen - Director at EHT, Mr. Fredy Guayacan - Project Manager at the ILO, Mr. KIM Ravuth - Chief of Marketing and Advertising Office at the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training and Mr. MEAN Vandet - Director of the Tourism Skills Training Department at the Ministry of Tourism.

Cambodia’s robust economic growth post-pandemic is driven by various factors. With tourism accounting for a large share of the country’s GDP, this career fair served as an important avenue to revive excitement in the sector and attract local talents to meet labour market demands.

“The Open Career Fair 2023 will revive the attention and show the vitality and spectacular resilience of the hospitality and tourism sector in Siem Reap. It will also show the formidable impact of the sector on the overall labour market in the city. In collaboration with the ILO, we are providing visibility on a large scale, showcasing employers from diverse sectors to ensure a wider reach in the communities. We would also like to spotlight that tourism is evolving and can provide high-quality and decent employment, leading to sustainable careers for workers in the sector,” said François Schnoebelen, Director of École d'Hôtellerie et de Tourisme Paul Dubrule.

In addition, the ILO and EHT hosted workshops to prepare young people with the necessary skills, labour market information and decent working conditions awareness ahead of the career fair. They also brought together private sector companies to discuss collaboration efforts with United Nations agencies and labour public institutions to achieve decent work for youth.

"Enhancing partnerships and fostering synergies with the private sector at career fairs, such as this one, is a must, especially within sectors that have significant impact on Cambodia's economy, such as tourism and hospitality. These partnerships, in conjunction with the ILO, and more specifically the Promoting the Global Development Initiative with a Focus on South-South Cooperation in Employment in ASEAN project, create a conducive environment for young job seekers to connect with employers, receive information on job vacancies, and explore their potential career avenues. This open job fair offers a tangible means of realizing the broader goals of employment policies by directly addressing the employment needs of specific sectors and populations in Cambodia. This collaborative effort with EHT supports the ILO's goal of promoting full and productive employment for all, which are vital to accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, said Fredy Guayacan, Project Manager of the ILO Promoting the Global Development Initiative with a Focus on South-South Cooperation in Employment in ASEAN.

The Open Career Fair 2023 is organized by EHT, the ILO Decent Employment for Youth in Cambodia programme funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and the ILO Promoting the Global Development Initiative with a Focus on South-South Cooperation in Employment in ASEAN funded by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security of the People's Republic of China. The career fair also received sponsorship from BRED Bank, ABA Bank, Pernod Ricard Cambodge, EuroCham Cambodia and CCI France Cambodge.

For more information, please contact:

Shouly Chann
National Project Coordinator
ILO Decent Employment for Youth in Cambodia project
Email: chann@ilo.org

Tarinee Youkhaw
Advocacy & Knowledge Management Officer
ILO ProSSCE-ASEAN project
Email: youkhaw@ilo.org