The return of hundreds of thousands of Cambodian workers from Thailand could increase Cambodia’s economic output while leaving individual households worse off, according to research by the Cambodia Development Resource Institute.
The findings were reported by CamboJA on October 7, 2026. They highlight a gap between growth in the national economy and the financial pressures facing returning workers.
Nearly a million people returned to Cambodia before and after armed clashes along the border with Thailand. In December 2025, Cambodia’s labour ministry said half a million had already found jobs.
But returning workers have faced lower wages, unfamiliar work and heavy debts.
One woman from Banteay Meanchey province previously earned more than $300 a month selling seafood in Thailand. Back in Cambodia, she earns $290 a month working in a garment factory.
The report also cites a figure of about 37% for the decline in returning workers’ monthly earnings, although it does not explain how that figure relates to the woman’s experience.
Rising prices could put further pressure on household budgets. The article cites an International Monetary Fund forecast that inflation would approach 6% in 2026.
Economists caution that a larger workforce and rising gross domestic product do not automatically mean better living standards. More people may be producing goods and services within Cambodia, while their families receive less income than they did when those workers were employed abroad.
The loss of money sent home from Thailand is another concern.
Under a middle economic scenario considered in the research, those transfers could fall by 60%.
According to labour ministry figures cited in the article, Cambodian workers in Thailand sent home nearly $2 billion in 2025, compared with almost $3 billion in 2024.
For returning workers, finding a job is only part of the challenge. The wages available at home may still leave families struggling to cover daily expenses and repay their debts.