National Census Identifies Half-Million Businesses
Cambodia has a total of 505,134 businesses supported by a workforce of 1,676,263, just 11.56 percent of the total population, according to a nationwide economic census released yesterday by the Ministry of Planning. Of the total number of people employed in the country, 1,026,084, or 61.2 percent, are women, mostly working in low-end jobs in the food-service, retail and garment sectors, the 2011 Economic Census found. According to the census, 97.7 percent of all businesses in Cambodia are classified as micro-businesses with less than 10 employees, while 79 percent of all businesses have fewer than three workers. Large businesses, on the other hand, classified as having more than 100 employees, accounted for just 0.2 percent of the total, or 787 establishments. When it comes to sales, however, those large businesses account for nearly half of Cambodia’s $120 billion sales annually, at $58.5 billion a year, while those businesses with fewer than three employees accounted for just $3.9 billion in sales output. …
Hul Reaksmey and Philip Heijmans, P.1
