Policy Briefs   5

Reintegrating Cambodia’s Return Migrants: Gender, Employment, and Livelihood Challenges


Published: 31-Aug-2026
Keyword: Gender and employment, livelihood resilience, return migration, labour market reintegration, skills development and job matching
English PDF (5)

Abstract/Summary

  • Women with children in their households are significantly more likely to be unemployed, highlighting the disproportionate gendered caregiving burden upon return from Thailand.
  • Employment outcomes vary significantly across provinces, with Battambang province showing the greatest challenges.
  • Return migrants face difficulties re-entering previous sectors of work, highlighting skills mismatches and structural constraints in the domestic labour market.
  • Many return migrants wish to remain in their home provinces, creating demand for productive local livelihoods, particularly in agriculture.
  • The most requested job market support includes vacancy information (≈60 percent), placement services (≈55 percent), and skills training (≈26 percent).
  • Targeted labour market reintegration policies, including childcare support, geographically targeted employment programmes, strengthened job matching, rural livelihood development, and industry-responsive skills training, are needed to improve employment outcomes and economic resilience among return migrants.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.64202/pb.05.2026.08




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