The labour market in Cambodia is changing, with an increase in available sales positions and a boost in hiring in the hospitality sector during the third quarter of this year, according to a report released yesterday by online career portal Everjobs Cambodia.

The data, collected through the analysis of the 5,500 job opportunities posted to the Everjobs portal, show that job vacancies are most common in the sales, accounting and hospitality industries in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, while hiring is most robust in the hospitality, imports and exports and food production industries.

While the report noted that the banking sector had been surpassed by the hospitality sector as the number one hiring industry in Cambodia, Everjobs Country Manager Niels Van Klooster remarked that this may be a result of the season.

“It could be that this current spike is seasonal, as many luxury hotels are preparing for the high tourist season that starts in November,” he said.

The report is useful as a tool for indicating market direction and monitoring the growth of the Kingdom’s economy, according to Chris McCarthy, CEO of marketing firm Mango Tango, who added that the firm’s own research showed stronger trends in positions available in administration and accounting.

He noted that the Everjobs report should be approached with caution. “The Everjobs reports are interesting but they are not methodologically sound,” he said.

“This is [Everjobs’] snapshot of trends based on posts being made to their site, not a quantitative study of the market.”