Cambodia's garment workers predict bleak future with U.S. tariffs

Shorter contracts and job losses likely unless a deal can be made, unions say

20250408 garment factory narby Phnom Penh

Women working at a garment factory near Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The Southeast Asian country, which greatly relies on exports to the U.S., has been hit with one of the highest Trump tariffs of any nation. (Photo by Vann Soben)

DANIELLE KEETON-OLSEN and OUCH SONY

April 8, 2025 14:22 JST

PHNOM PENH -- Shorter contracts with fewer protections, job losses or resigning to look for work overseas. These are the bleak choices Cambodian factory workers and their union representatives say hundreds of thousands of people will probably face if the 49% tariff U.S. President Donald Trump announced last week is not cut dramatically.

People involved in the garment sector, which makes up about a third of Cambodia's exports to the U.S., said the impact would not be immediate because brands typically place orders six to 12 months in advance. But they added that if production does move, Cambodian factories and workers would be devastated.