As more Japanese companies rapidly enter the Cambodian market, CamUp Job Agency aims to provide businesses with well-qualified and reliable Cambodian staff to grow their business while training employees with the necessary skills to pursue a career.

Since the company first started operating two years ago, Nao Sato, CEO of CamUp Job Agency, said it has successfully placed over 1,000 applicants into high paying, well-skilled positions in foreign-owned companies—especially Japanese ones.

“Our main target is Japanese companies, so we introduce Cambodian candidates to Japanese clients,” said Nao Sato, CEO of CamUp Job Agency. “Japanese companies have very high standards, so we find the right candidate for the position.”

To make searching for a job more accessible, CamUp has recently launched a smartphone application where prospective employees and employers can list vacancies and candidates can save and share the information with friends.

“We want to provide opportunities for Cambodians to gain career experience and better opportunities to earn higher salaries,” she said.

She explained that when she first arrived in Cambodia, there was a wave of Japanese restaurants being established in Phnom Penh. As the market expanded, Japanese investors have come to set up real estate agencies, construction companies and IT companies—sectors that she expects will continue to grow.

“I can see many more Japanese businesses coming to Cambodia. If you look at Japanese media, Cambodia is always looked at as a place for business opportunities,” she said, adding that it also provides a launch pad into ASEAN.

For Cambodians looking to move into these sectors and take positions in the market’s growing potential, Sato said it is important for her staff of 25 Cambodian recruiters, plus two Japanese, to closely look at the skill level of the candidates.

Once that process is complete, the company matches the candidates in positions where they are most likely to grow and succeed, something she said was the benefit of using a recruitment agency.

“If Cambodians search for jobs without an agency, maybe their choices are little. They can find more opportunities through recruitment agencies so that they can choose more easily,” she said.

The benefit of working for a foreign-owned company allows Cambodians to develop “more skills by spending their time in a high-skilled and professional atmosphere,” she said.

Meanwhile, CamUp Job Agency has diversified their services as the company has expanded. As well as placing Cambodians in positions, it also helps Japanese find employment. This is one of the company’s “strong points,” Sato explained.

“[Foreign and local companies] do not know how to hire Japanese staff. And they have no idea how to find them. We have many channels to Japan and Japanese candidates working in the ASEAN. I normally interview four to five Japanese candidates per week,” she said.

But as the job market continues to diversify, providing more options for Cambodians, Sato noted that young Cambodians need to focus more on their careers rather than just earning potential.

“Cambodians [often] just try to find a new job just to increase their salary. Only if it is $20 to $30 a month more they will change their job. That is not so good when trying to begin a career,” she said.