Paper

Youth Economic Opportunity Ecosystem Analysis: Cambodia Country Report

Comprehensive assessment of youth employment and demand for financial services

This report is the key output of an assessment implemented in Cambodia, as part of YouthStart Global inception phase. The report aims to capture a picture of the youth economic opportunities ecosystem in Cambodia by:

  • Providing an overview of the employment challenge and demand for financial services;
  • Presenting a comprehensive analysis of the demand for and the supply of labor;
  • Identifying high-potential opportunities for youth.

It also provides an overview and mapping of the current youth intervention landscape and the supply of financial services, as well as an assessment of key gaps for each of the high-potential opportunities for youth. The key findings presented in the report are:

  1. Cambodia’s labour market is severely demand-constrained;
  2. Lack of information on Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and labour markets, and lack of vocational training and poor quality of education are the biggest hurdles to better youth economic opportunities;
  3. Access to capital is a major and consistent challenge, limiting youth to successfully start a business;
  4. Five sectors have emerged as offering the most promising economic opportunities for youth;
  5. Existing programs do not fully cover the different elements required for youth to access high-potential opportunities.