--- title: "Cambodian Garment Unions Want $250.66 a Month for 2027…" canonical: "https://www.metaintro.com/blog/cambodia-garment-minimum-wage-2027" language: "en" author: "drashtigarach" published: "2026-09-17T18:08:20.000Z" modified: "2026-09-18T13:03:51.947Z" --- [Back to Blog](/blog) [News](/blog/tag/news)[Jobs](/blog/tag/jobs)[Salary](/blog/tag/salary)[Strike](/blog/tag/strike)[Labor Market](/blog/tag/labor-market) # Cambodian Garment Unions Want $250.66 a Month for 2027 While Employers Hold at $210 Cambodian garment employers want the wage held at $210 while unions seek $250.66 for 2027. See the allowances you are owed and when the new rate is decided. [![Drashti Garach](https://cdn.metaintro.com/rs:fill:40:40/q:72/plain/images/5719d740-e510-42bc-8017-e040d145f35f_1766029465094.png)Drashti Garach @DrashtiGarach](/blog/author/drashtigarach) [September 17, 2026](/blog/archive/2026/09)Updated September 18, 202612 min read ![Cambodian Garment Unions Want $250.66 a Month for 2027 While Employers Hold at $210](https://cdn.metaintro.com/rs:fill:1200:675/q:78/plain/images/10287.jpg) [https://x.com/intent/tweet?text=Cambodian%20Garment%20Unions%20Want%20%24250.66%20a%20Month%20for%202027%20While%20Employers%20Hold%20at%20%24210&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Fcambodia-garment-minimum-wage-2027](https://x.com/intent/tweet?text=Cambodian%20Garment%20Unions%20Want%20%24250.66%20a%20Month%20for%202027%20While%20Employers%20Hold%20at%20%24210&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Fcambodia-garment-minimum-wage-2027)[http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Fcambodia-garment-minimum-wage-2027](http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Fcambodia-garment-minimum-wage-2027)[https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Fcambodia-garment-minimum-wage-2027&title=Cambodian%20Garment%20Unions%20Want%20%24250.66%20a%20Month%20for%202027%20While%20Employers%20Hold%20at%20%24210](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Fcambodia-garment-minimum-wage-2027&title=Cambodian%20Garment%20Unions%20Want%20%24250.66%20a%20Month%20for%202027%20While%20Employers%20Hold%20at%20%24210)[mailto:?subject=Cambodian%20Garment%20Unions%20Want%20%24250.66%20a%20Month%20for%202027%20While%20Employers%20Hold%20at%20%24210&body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Fcambodia-garment-minimum-wage-2027](mailto:?subject=Cambodian%20Garment%20Unions%20Want%20%24250.66%20a%20Month%20for%202027%20While%20Employers%20Hold%20at%20%24210&body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Fcambodia-garment-minimum-wage-2027) Cambodia's garment, footwear and travel goods employers want the minimum wage for 2027 kept at [$210 a month](https://asianews.network/cambodia-minimum-wage-talks-continue-as-workers-seek-us15-us40-increase/), while seven unions are asking for [$250.66](https://cambojanews.com/unions-seek-250-66-minimum-wage-for-garment-workers-in-2027/). If you sew, cut, pack or finish goods in one of these factories, the gap between those two numbers is your next year of pay. At [Metaintro](https://www.metaintro.com) we read the headline figures against the rules that actually decide a pay slip, and in Cambodia those rules add allowances most coverage leaves out. Here is what you are owed today, what each side wants, and when the decision lands. ## What Do Garment Workers Actually Get Paid Right Now? The headline wage is the floor of the pay slip, not the whole of it. The current rate comes from [Prakas No. 214](https://data.opendevelopmentcambodia.net/laws_record/prakas-no-214-on-the-determination-of-the-minimum-wage-for-workers-employees-in-the-textile-garment), the order the [Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training](https://data.opendevelopmentcambodia.net/laws_record/prakas-no-214-on-the-determination-of-the-minimum-wage-for-workers-employees-in-the-textile-garment) signed on September 17, 2025 for the textile, garment, footwear, travel goods and bag sectors. Under that order, regular workers earn at least [$210 a month and probationary workers at least $208](https://www.dfdl.com/insights/legal-and-tax-updates/cambodia-increase-in-minimum-wage-for-2026-for-the-garments-textiles-footwear/), from January 1, 2026. The order also keeps every existing benefit in place. On top of the base wage, workers are entitled to a [transport or accommodation allowance of $7 a month](https://www.dfdl.com/insights/legal-and-tax-updates/cambodia-increase-in-minimum-wage-for-2026-for-the-garments-textiles-footwear/), an [attendance bonus of $10 a month](https://www.dfdl.com/insights/legal-and-tax-updates/cambodia-increase-in-minimum-wage-for-2026-for-the-garments-textiles-footwear/), and a [meal allowance of $0.50 a day, or one free meal, when they work overtime](https://www.dfdl.com/insights/legal-and-tax-updates/cambodia-increase-in-minimum-wage-for-2026-for-the-garments-textiles-footwear/). Length of service adds more. A [seniority bonus runs from $2 to $11 a month](https://www.dfdl.com/insights/legal-and-tax-updates/cambodia-increase-in-minimum-wage-for-2026-for-the-garments-textiles-footwear/) for workers in their second to eleventh years at the same employer. There is also a temporary top up tied to fuel. Since [April 2026 the government has paid workers an extra $2.50 allowance for travel](https://asianews.network/cambodia-minimum-wage-talks-continue-as-workers-seek-us15-us40-increase/) as fuel prices rose with the war in the Middle East. > Workers are owed a [$7 transport or rent allowance, a $10 attendance bonus and $2 to $11 in seniority pay](https://www.dfdl.com/insights/legal-and-tax-updates/cambodia-increase-in-minimum-wage-for-2026-for-the-garments-textiles-footwear/) on top of the base wage, so check that each line appears on your slip. If any of these lines is missing from your pay slip, that is worth raising with your union or line manager before arguing about next year's rate. ## What If You Are Paid by the Piece? Piece rate work cannot pay less than the floor. For workers paid by output, the rate follows production, and if output earns more than the minimum you keep the higher amount. If it earns less, the employer must [top your pay up to $210, or $208 during probation](https://www.dfdl.com/insights/legal-and-tax-updates/cambodia-increase-in-minimum-wage-for-2026-for-the-garments-textiles-footwear/). That rule applies during probation and afterwards. Once probation ends, the rate rises from [$208 to $210 a month](https://kh.andersen.com/publications/cambodia-minimum-wage-for-workers-for-2026/), so a worker still being paid the probation rate after it ends is being underpaid. ## When Should the Money Arrive, and What Should the Pay Slip Show? Knowing the timetable and the paperwork is how you spot a shortfall early. Factory wages are paid in two parts. Under the ministry's wage payment rules, employers must pay [half of the monthly wage in the second week of the month and the rest at the end of the fourth week](https://wageindicator.org/labour-laws/labour-law-around-the-world/minimum-wages-regulations/minimum-wages-regulations-cambodia). If a pay day falls on a holiday, the employer must pay in advance. Every pay day should come with a pay slip. Employers are expected to issue slips [in Khmer that show how wages were calculated](https://wageindicator.org/labour-laws/labour-law-around-the-world/minimum-wages-regulations/minimum-wages-regulations-cambodia), item by item, so the allowances above should be visible rather than folded into one total. Record keeping has also tightened. Under [Prakas No. 111/25](https://wageindicator.org/labour-laws/labour-law-around-the-world/minimum-wages-regulations/minimum-wages-regulations-cambodia), employers must keep standard payroll ledgers or a computerised payroll system covering wages, hours, overtime and deductions, with a QR code linked to the Labour Ministry system. Deductions are limited too. Apart from a short list of exceptions such as unreturned tools or union dues, an employer [may not deduct wages in a way that leaves you below the minimum wage](https://wageindicator.org/labour-laws/labour-law-around-the-world/minimum-wages-regulations/minimum-wages-regulations-cambodia). ## What Happens to an Employer That Pays Less? The law sets out penalties, and they are not small for a single factory. Under the [Law on Minimum Wage](https://www.dfdl.com/insights/legal-and-tax-updates/cambodia-legal-update-law-on-minimum-wage-dated-6-july-2018-law-on-minimum-wage/), promulgated on July 6, 2018, any agreement setting pay below the rate in the ministry's order is null and void, whether written or spoken. An employer that fails to pay the minimum faces a [fine of up to KHR 40,000,000, about $10,000](https://www.dfdl.com/insights/legal-and-tax-updates/cambodia-legal-update-law-on-minimum-wage-dated-6-july-2018-law-on-minimum-wage/). Back pay is owed as well. An employer that paid below the minimum must [pay the full shortfall to each worker, with interest](https://www.dfdl.com/insights/legal-and-tax-updates/cambodia-legal-update-law-on-minimum-wage-dated-6-july-2018-law-on-minimum-wage/) at the legal rate. For a worker, that means a signed contract with a lower figure does not bind you. The floor in the prakas wins. ## What Is Each Side Asking For in 2027? The positions are far apart, and the talks have become tense. Employers want no change. At the eighth meeting of the [National Council on Minimum Wage](https://www.dfdl.com/insights/legal-and-tax-updates/cambodia-legal-update-law-on-minimum-wage-dated-6-july-2018-law-on-minimum-wage/) on September 14, employer representatives proposed [keeping the wage at $210](https://asianews.network/cambodia-minimum-wage-talks-continue-as-workers-seek-us15-us40-increase/), arguing they had already provided an extra $2.50 a month to ease the burden on businesses. Unions are split on the size of the rise. Most worker representatives proposed an increase of [$15.30, while some called for $40.60](https://asianews.network/cambodia-minimum-wage-talks-continue-as-workers-seek-us15-us40-increase/) on top of the current $210. Separately, a [petition sought an $8 rise in the travel allowance](https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/cambodia-trade-unions-demand-higher-minimum-wage-as-garment-workers-struggle-with-rising-living-costs/) during the same negotiations. The highest ask is the one tabled by seven unions. The [Cambodian Alliance of Trade Unions](https://cambojanews.com/unions-seek-250-66-minimum-wage-for-garment-workers-in-2027/) and six others proposed [$250.66 a month](https://cambojanews.com/unions-seek-250-66-minimum-wage-for-garment-workers-in-2027/) for garment, travel goods and footwear workers. Workers on the line are asking for less. A sewer in Phnom Penh's Stung Meanchey district hoped for [around $220 for 2027](https://cambojanews.com/cambodian-workers-seek-higher-minimum-wage-as-2027-talks-begin/), asking for at least a $10 increase because prices and fuel keep rising. ## Where Does the Union Figure Come From? Because it comes from what households spend, not from a percentage. Union leader Yang Sophorn put household needs at [more than $500 a month](https://cambojanews.com/unions-seek-250-66-minimum-wage-for-garment-workers-in-2027/), against a basic wage of $210. The proposal was built on the cost of food, utilities and transport, plus debt, children's education and health care. The unions surveyed workers to get there. Independent unions set up in [28 factories, with about 422 workers taking part](https://cambojanews.com/unions-seek-250-66-minimum-wage-for-garment-workers-in-2027/) in the consumption survey behind the figure. The gap is being closed with hours. Sophorn described workers taking over other workers' shifts and working overtime, and asked whether anyone should have to work more than [eight hours to support a family](https://cambojanews.com/unions-seek-250-66-minimum-wage-for-garment-workers-in-2027/). > A basic salary of [only $210, even with overtime, has left Khut Sokha taking bank loans to cover medical costs for her children](https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/cambodia-trade-unions-demand-higher-minimum-wage-as-garment-workers-struggle-with-rising-living-costs/). Khut Sokha, a worker representative with three children in school, hopes the government will consider the [$250.66 proposal](https://cambojanews.com/unions-seek-250-66-minimum-wage-for-garment-workers-in-2027/), which she argued would not make workers rich but would simply provide a more decent income than the $210 wage. ## How Is the Wage Actually Decided, and When? The process is set in law, and the calendar is short. The [Law on Minimum Wage](https://www.dfdl.com/insights/legal-and-tax-updates/cambodia-legal-update-law-on-minimum-wage-dated-6-july-2018-law-on-minimum-wage/) created a tripartite council of government, employers and workers that studies wages and recommends a rate. Talks must happen every year unless the council decides otherwise, and the ministry then fixes the rate by prakas. The council weighs [seven criteria](https://cambojanews.com/cambodian-workers-seek-higher-minimum-wage-as-2027-talks-begin/): family circumstances, inflation, living costs, productivity, national competitiveness, labour market conditions and the profitability of the sector. Labour Minister Heng Sour asked all parties to analyse the data on competitiveness and productivity in particular before proposing figures. The remaining dates are public. Tripartite meetings were scheduled for [September 14, 18, 28 and 30, 2026](https://cambojanews.com/cambodian-workers-seek-higher-minimum-wage-as-2027-talks-begin/), and a final decision is expected by the [end of September](https://asianews.network/cambodia-minimum-wage-talks-continue-as-workers-seek-us15-us40-increase/). The start date is fixed by law. The new rate [must take effect from 1 January of the following year](https://www.dfdl.com/insights/legal-and-tax-updates/cambodia-legal-update-law-on-minimum-wage-dated-6-july-2018-law-on-minimum-wage/). For comparison, last year's order was issued on [September 17, 2025](https://kh.andersen.com/publications/cambodia-minimum-wage-for-workers-for-2026/) and applied from January 1, 2026. ## What Does the Wage History Tell Workers? Recent rises have been small, which is why the gap between the positions looks so wide. The minimum rose from [$40 in 1997 to $145 in 2015](https://cambojanews.com/cambodian-workers-seek-higher-minimum-wage-as-2027-talks-begin/), then to $200 in 2023 and $204 in 2024. The most recent step took it from [$208 to $210](https://kh.andersen.com/publications/cambodia-minimum-wage-for-workers-for-2026/), a rise of $2 for 2026. Part of that last step came from the state. The current $210 [includes a $2 government contribution](https://asianews.network/cambodia-minimum-wage-talks-continue-as-workers-seek-us15-us40-increase/). Unions wanted more last year too. Many independent unions had hoped for [$232 a month in 2026](https://cambojanews.com/cambodian-workers-seek-higher-minimum-wage-as-2027-talks-begin/), calling it the minimum adjustment needed. Employers point to trade pressure. Cambodia's tariff on exports to the US was cut to [19% after earlier rates of 49% and then 36%](https://cambojanews.com/cambodian-workers-seek-higher-minimum-wage-as-2027-talks-begin/), and employer representatives had asked unions to base their proposal on scientific and technical criteria. Comparisons with neighbours are contested. [Senate President Hun Sen](https://cambojanews.com/unions-seek-250-66-minimum-wage-for-garment-workers-in-2027/) has argued that Cambodian wages are higher than in Vietnam, India, Pakistan and other countries in the region, while Moeun Tola of [CENTRAL](https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/cambodia-trade-unions-demand-higher-minimum-wage-as-garment-workers-struggle-with-rising-living-costs/) warned that such comparisons must weigh purchasing power, income stability and social protection. ## Who Is Affected by This Decision? A large share of Cambodia's formal workforce. The minimum wage rules apply only to the garment, footwear and travel goods sector, which employs [nearly one million people, mostly women](https://cambojanews.com/cambodian-workers-seek-higher-minimum-wage-as-2027-talks-begin/). More than [88% of Cambodian workers remain in informal jobs](https://cambojanews.com/cambodian-workers-seek-higher-minimum-wage-as-2027-talks-begin/) outside this system. The same scale shows up in trade coverage. The sectors that opened talks employ [nearly one million workers](http://www.ecotextile.com/2026090465382/radar/cambodian-workers-demand-higher-minimum-wage-reforms/), and they are arguing that the $210 floor no longer covers food and fuel costs. Politics may help workers this year. Ry Sithyneth of the [Independent Trade Union Federation](https://cambojanews.com/unions-seek-250-66-minimum-wage-for-garment-workers-in-2027/) pointed to commune council elections next year as a reason the government may listen more closely. ## What This Means for Garment Workers, and What Should You Watch? The first thing to do is check your own pay slip against the rules already in force. The base wage is only one line. The [$7 transport allowance, the $10 attendance bonus and the seniority bonus](https://www.dfdl.com/insights/legal-and-tax-updates/cambodia-increase-in-minimum-wage-for-2026-for-the-garments-textiles-footwear/) are all owed now, and they do not depend on how this year's talks end. Second, judge any settlement against household costs rather than against the old floor. With household needs above [$500 a month](https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/cambodia-trade-unions-demand-higher-minimum-wage-as-garment-workers-struggle-with-rising-living-costs/), even the most generous union ask still leaves families relying on overtime. A rise that stays close to the employer position changes the number without changing the month. Third, understand that the outcome is shaped in the room, not in the headlines. The council's criteria give real weight to competitiveness and productivity, which favours the employer case, while living costs and inflation favour workers. The unions' own consumption survey is their answer to that, and taking part in one is the most direct way an ordinary worker affects the result. Fourth, if you are weighing a factory job, ask about hours as well as pay. A wage that only works with extra shifts is a different job from one where base pay covers the month. Ask what the average worker actually earns with allowances, and how much overtime that takes. Our view is that this negotiation matters well beyond Cambodia. It shows that a wage demand built on a household survey is harder to wave away than a percentage, and that allowances written into a ministerial order are as much a part of pay as the headline figure. Watch the September 28 and 30 meetings. The number agreed there sets the pay of close to a million people from January. ## Related Articles - [Shein's Hong Kong IPO Puts Its Garment Workers in the Spotlight](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/shein-hong-kong-ipo-garment-workers-spotlight) - [How Many Hours Is Overtime and When You Are Legally Owed It](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/how-many-hours-is-overtime) - [What Is Overtime Pay, How Time and a Half Is Calculated Under the FLSA](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/what-is-overtime-wages) - [Skills for Your Manufacturing Resume](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/manufacturing-resume-skills) - [How to Get Machinist Certification and Advance Your Manufacturing Career](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/machinist-certification-manufacturing-career) - [US Manufacturing Has a Worker Problem, Key Warnings From McKinsey](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/us-manufacturing-worker-shortage-mckinsey-report) - [Samsung Is Building a Humanoid Robot Division and What It Means for Factory Jobs](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/samsung-humanoid-robot-division-factory-jobs) - [A New Humanoid Robot Factory and What It Means for Your Job](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/humanoid-robot-factory-what-it-means-for-your-job) - [The UK Just Published the Names of Employers That Underpaid Their Staff](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/uk-minimum-wage-naming-list-underpaid-workers) - [How We Calculate Posted Pay](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/posted-pay-methodology) ## People Also Asked ### Q: What is the current minimum wage for Cambodian garment workers? A: The 2026 rate is [$210 a month for regular workers and $208 during probation](https://www.dfdl.com/insights/legal-and-tax-updates/cambodia-increase-in-minimum-wage-for-2026-for-the-garments-textiles-footwear/), set by Prakas No. 214. Workers also receive a [$7 transport or rent allowance and a $10 attendance bonus](https://www.dfdl.com/insights/legal-and-tax-updates/cambodia-increase-in-minimum-wage-for-2026-for-the-garments-textiles-footwear/) on top. ### Q: How much are unions and employers asking for in 2027? A: Seven unions are seeking [$250.66 a month](https://cambojanews.com/unions-seek-250-66-minimum-wage-for-garment-workers-in-2027/). At the September 14 council meeting, most worker representatives proposed a [$15.30 rise, some $40.60, and employers proposed keeping $210](https://asianews.network/cambodia-minimum-wage-talks-continue-as-workers-seek-us15-us40-increase/). ### Q: When will the 2027 Cambodian minimum wage be decided? A: Tripartite meetings were scheduled for [September 14, 18, 28 and 30, 2026](https://cambojanews.com/cambodian-workers-seek-higher-minimum-wage-as-2027-talks-begin/), with a decision expected by the end of September. The new rate must [take effect from 1 January of the following year](https://www.dfdl.com/insights/legal-and-tax-updates/cambodia-legal-update-law-on-minimum-wage-dated-6-july-2018-law-on-minimum-wage/). Wondering what you should earn? [Metaintro](https://www.metaintro.com) tracks what employers actually pay across manufacturing and operations roles, so you can compare a real wage against real living costs. 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