The basic salary of workers in Cambodia in 2024 is $204, while the per capita income in Cambodia in 2023 is only $1,924. With a monthly salary of only a few hundred dollars, but the people live and work in peace and contentment, and the happiness index is very high, Cambodia is known as the "Kingdom of Smiles", which is indeed amazing.
Although the wages of Cambodians are low, the consumption in Phnom Penh and major cities is surprisingly expensive for foreigners. How do Cambodians live and consume, and how will they provide for their old age in the future? In order to solve this doubt, the editor interviewed several local young people.
Migrant workers from other provinces in the capital: How could the moonlight people think of a pension plan?
Sophie (pseudonym), a migrant girl from Phnom Penh, told the editor that she has been in Phnom Penh for almost 10 years, and because she does not know Chinese and other foreign languages, her work salary is very low, only about 300 US dollars a month. That's also the average salary for most people in Phnom Penh, she said.
Sophie said: "The cost of Phnom Penh is very high, and I have no relatives here, so I can only rent a house by myself. Rents in Phnom Penh currently cost $50 to $80. I prefer to live alone, so I rented a single room for $70 a month, $2.5 for water and $5 for electricity per month. ”
"In a high-spending city like Phnom Penh, where the average migrant earner earns only a few hundred dollars a month, how can he save money?" said Sophie, who is a "moonlighter" who only saves a few dozen dollars a month. In addition to white-collar workers, most of the migrant workers are moonshiners, and it is difficult for ordinary company employees to save their savings.
Talking about the issue of pension, Sophie said: "I was born in an ordinary family, not poor, my parents in my hometown have a house and land, they currently have their own income, and several siblings also have their own income. I am a migrant worker from other provinces who came to Phnom Penh, and I have no future, let alone a pension plan. ”
"As a young person like me, not many people think about retirement planning, everyone lives very hard, and it is fortunate that they are not in debt. Of course, it would be great if you could build a small family, take one step at a time, anyway, few people hold the concept of 'planning for a rainy day'. In short, the expectations were not high, and there was not much disappointment. ”
Part-time students: I haven't considered retirement
The goal at this stage is to make money and marry a wife
Ah Wah, 23, from Siem Reap, is currently studying Chinese at the Royal University of Phnom Penh and has a girlfriend of 5 years.
Ah Hua is a part-time student who works for a Chinese-funded company in Phnom Penh, and after work at 5 a.m. every day, he has to go to class, sometimes staying up until 1 to 2 a.m. to complete his homework. Like Sophie, he has no relatives in Phnom Penh, so he rents a house for himself. Sometimes the company doesn't pay his salary on time, so he has to eat instant noodles to support him.
Ah Wah said that the level of consumption in Phnom Penh is very high, and after coming to Phnom Penh for a few years, he only has the next installment motorcycle, and he has not yet repaid the payment. He and his girlfriend have been dating for 5 years, and the other party's parents asked them to get married as soon as possible, and the wedding should be held in Phnom Penh. However, a wedding in Phnom Penh cost tens of thousands of dollars, not including the bride price, and he couldn't get it out at all, so the two never got married. He also expressed his understanding of the urging of the elders.
Ah Hua said that although his girlfriend is from Phnom Penh and her family is relatively poor, she has been working in the company before, and she started her business last year, and plans to open a store after accumulating customers. According to him, the current Chinese level is limited, so the salary is only higher than that of local employees.
When asked about the pension plan, he said frankly: "Migrant workers like us rarely think about this issue, and the cost of Phnom Penh is large, and people with ordinary families don't think about this problem at all." At present, my biggest goal is to improve my Chinese and find a high-paying job in the future, so that I can save more money to marry my girlfriend, after all, if the woman's parents wait too long, they will also think that I am not sincere in marrying their daughter. ”
Ah Hua believes that young people in Cambodia are more likely to live in the present, and few people think about the issue of pension. The days go by and the days are counted as days, so why think so far?
Newlyweds: Raising children is the future dependence
For the question of pension plan, Xiaobian got a different answer from Tawei.
Thawi was born in Phnom Penh to civil service parents who are now retired. Tawi just got married last year, and she and her husband are both office workers, and they plan to raise two children.
Tawi said: "She and her husband plan to have two children, and Phnom Penh costs a lot to raise a baby, but they must have children and can only rely on them when they are old." Cambodia is not a rich country and has few government pensions. Some people worry that if the child does not stay in the middle and the child lacks filial piety, he will eventually leave his parents. According to my observations, some of the new generation of young people in Cambodia are more filial to their parents. ”
She believes that if the child is filial, there is a certain reason for raising children to prevent old age, and if the child is very selfish, then it can only be a godson.
She also said that having children can be regarded as an explanation to the ancestors, most Cambodians have the concept of inheritance, even if their children grow up to be unfilial, they will raise children. However, some people do hold the idea of "living in the present" and do not pay much attention to the issue of pension.
It is not difficult to see that for the pension plan, some young people in Cambodia do not think about the long-term because of income, life pressure and other reasons, but pay attention to the current life experience or phased goals. But there are also people who have a plan to "raise children and prevent old age". What do you think about this? #柬埔寨#