Cambodia’s Supreme National Economic Council is currently reviewing a new draft of the national Industrial Development Policy, setting out a roadmap from 2026 to 2035. The message is clear: over the next decade, the country wants to give its local manufacturing sector a serious upgrade.
The draft zeros in on industrial modernization. The plan is to step away from basic, low-skill assembly work and shift toward tech-driven, high-skilled sectors, boosting the overall competitiveness of Cambodian-made goods.
Every morning and evening across the country's industrial zones, swarms of factory workers ride past roadside food stalls buzzing with smoke and chatter. If higher-tech industries do manage to move in, the daily grind for these workers could start to look quite different. For now, the policy is still under review—whether the next ten years bring a genuine transformation will all come down to how well it's put into practice.
