The Southeast Asian nation of Cambodia is the world’s 72nd-largest country with a population of 17.527 million people. It has only the 93rd-largest economy in the world, but while this may look like underperformance, it masks the fact that this country’s economy has been growing steadily for decades. At the end of 2025, Cambodia’s GDP reached $48.8 billion, nearly seven times its size in 2005. Recovering well after the pandemic, growth has been steady in the past few years, and 4.0% increase in GDP is projected for 2026. Cambodia’s labor force includes over 10.2 million workers, the majority of whom are young and increasingly skilled. With 34% of workers employed in agriculture, Cambodia is an important rice exporter, while another 28% produce garments for export and work in other parts of the industrial sector. This leaves 38% of the workforce employed in the service industry, especially in tourism, trade, transportation, ICT, and financial services. Employees in Cambodia are still highly affordable, especially for international investors looking for skilled overseas workers.

Employers still have to overcome the challenge of choosing the right people to work for their companies. Even with excellent screening processes in place, it can be very hard to ensure that a new worker is a perfect fit for a position until they’ve been seen in action. Workers also have a difficult time choosing jobs to take and employers to work with. They can’t really be sure that they’ll be happy without testing out new opportunities. This is why probation periods in Cambodia are so important. They help both sides recheck and finalize their employment decisions to find the best fit possible.

In this guide, we’ll explore how probation works in Cambodia and why it can be beneficial for employers and employees alike.

Definition of a Probation Period in Cambodia

In Cambodia, a probation period is known as a rypel sakalbong, a trial period for new employees. This period begins when a worker starts a new job, so long as it has been included in their contract. The duration of the probation period should also be included to show that the worker and the employer have agreed on how long it should take for the employee’s performance to be assessed.

This is the main task that the employer has during the probation period – assessing the worker’s skills, knowledge, and ability to produce work to a satisfactory level of quality. This assessment procedure may be highly formalized, with periodic feedback and recommendations given to the employee, or simple and fairly uninvolved. The employer also needs to look at how well their new employee can get along with their coworkers, collaborate on projects, and fit into the organization’s hierarchy. If they don’t feel they’ve found a good fit, the employer may choose to terminate the employee during or at the end of their probation period.

At the same time, the employee uses their probation period to assess their fit with their role and the quality of the working conditions their employer provides. They assess safety, hygiene, hours, locations, and other factors to ensure they’re in line with what the employer promised. The employee also evaluates their own ability to perform the tasks required for their roles, their fit with the company’s culture, and how well they believe they’ll be able to work under their managers and with their teammates. If the employee considers the job a poor fit, they, too, can choose to terminate the employment contract.

However, if neither party chooses to end their contract by the end of the agreed probation period, it can be considered a success, and the worker will become a full employee.

Lengths of Probationary Periods in Cambodia

Employers can choose whether or not to use probation periods for new employees, as well as the duration that will be necessary. However, many workers are covered by collective agreements that already dictate the use and duration of these periods.

Cambodian law restricts the duration of probation periods so that employers have enough time to assess employees, while the employees aren’t without full legal protections for undue periods of time. Probation periods in Cambodia can last up to three months. However, this is the maximum allowed for what are considered “white-collar” employees.

Unskilled “blue-collar” workers can only be placed on probation for one month, while skilled workers can be on probation for a maximum of two months.

Legal Considerations for Probation Periods in Cambodia

Cambodia’s legal system combines influences from both civil and common law. Its Labor Law 1997 (amended 2021) covers the regulation of probation periods, including the following important points:

Pay and Working Conditions

Cambodia recently updated its minimum wage levels in January 2026, though there is no national minimum wage that covers workers in all industries. Instead, only workers in the dominant textile, garment, and footwear industries are protected by a wage standard. Full employees in these industries must be paid at least 833,732.72 KHR (Cambodian riel) per month (210 USD/month). Employers are allowed to pay probationary workers less, though at 841,749.38 KHR/month (208 USD), this reduction is not very significant.

Cambodians normally work eight hours a day, six days a week, for a regular workweek of 48 hours. They can work overtime, but must not work more than ten hours a day. They must be paid at least 150% of their normal wages for overtime, and 200% if overtime is performed at night. These hours and premium pay rules apply to probationary as well as full employees.

Termination and Notice

Workers in Cambodia can be dismissed immediately for gross misconduct, including activities like stealing or being violent in the workplace. Employers must otherwise provide workers with notice, which can vary in duration from seven days to three months, depending on the length of service provided to the employer. Employees are generally also entitled to receive severance pay in the amount of seven days wages if they’ve worked between six months and one year, and 15 days wages for each subsequent year of service up to six months’ wages.

During probation periods, however, either party can choose to terminate their contract at any time. The employee doesn’t need to give notice, and the employer doesn’t need to provide notice, justifications, or severance pay.

Vacation / Holidays

Public holidays are set by government decree each year, and in 2026, Cambodians will celebrate 21 holidays. These are all considered paid days off work, and probationary workers also receive them if they fall within their probationary periods. If any employee is required to work on a public holiday, they must be paid 200% of their normal wages for doing so.

In addition to public holidays, Cambodian employees also receive 18 working days of paid leave annually. While they accumulate leave at the rate of 1.5 days per month of work completed, employees don’t have the right to use this leave until they’ve worked for a full year, so probationary employees are not able to access paid annual leave.

Benefits of Probation Periods in Cambodia

Cambodia allows and regulates probation periods since they’re seen as providing benefits to both employers and employees. Some of their main advantages include:

  • For Employees
Time to assess a worker’s skills and productivity to confirm that they’re able to perform their role.
A chance to see how well a new worker fits in with the company culture and their specific team.
The opportunity to terminate ill-fitting employees quickly without needing to provide reasons, notice, or severance pay for their dismissals.
  • For Employers
The opportunity to try a new job and assess whether or not they’ll be successful in it.
The chance to experience the employer’s working conditions to ensure that they’re appropriate and acceptable.
Time to evaluate their inter-personal dynamics with their colleagues and supervisors.
The ability to leave a job immediately if it is found to be a bad fit or otherwise undesirable.

Conclusion​

Employers in Cambodia can benefit from using probation periods, but so, too, can their new employees. Both groups use these periods to double-check the choices they’ve made and, hopefully, to ensure that the long-term success of their employment relationships meets the satisfaction of all.

Frequently Asked Questions

Probation in Cambodia is limited to three months, though this is only for employees in white-collar jobs. Blue-collar workers can be on probation for two months if they’re skilled and only one month if they’re unskilled. These periods cannot be extended or renewed.

No, neither the employer nor the employee needs to provide notice if they wish to terminate their contract, unless notice is explicitly required through a collective agreement.

Yes. Unlike in most other countries, Cambodia has set a lower minimum wage for probationary workers than full employees, though the $2/month difference is hardly significant.