The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is planning to establish a new $60 million program focused on developing local technical skills and increasing the competitiveness of Cambodia’s labour force in 2019, according to Minister of Labour Ith Sam Heng.

The comments to reporters followed Sam Heng's closed-door meeting with ADB senior country economist Jan Hansen on Tuesday to discuss the progress of current ADB-funded projects within the ministry’s technical and vocational training department. Many of the currently-running projects are set to end in 2021, according to the minister.

Sam Heng said the details of the ADB-funded project were not finalised, and ADB officials did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.

“The ADB is preparing another project that focuses on developing labour skills for competitiveness, which will last from 2019 to 2024 with an estimated funding of $60 million,” Sam Heng said. “There is high demand for Cambodians to have necessary skills. We will work on the concrete details of this project and will follow its progress.”