Working women in the Kingdom are sending a strong message – they are accelerating economic growth as well as bringing significant influence on the consumer market.

Women in the formal sector who are enjoying higher disposable income and better wealth accumulation are influencing purchasing decisions in the modern economy.

“As more women enter the workforce there will be a shift in the consumer market as they now have more purchasing power.

“There are a lot of women in the garment sector, for instance, and when they migrate to urban areas, they drive the consumer market.

“And so are the business entrepreneurs who are exposed to better knowledge of the market,” said HRINC (Cambodia) Co Ltd managing partner Suy Sokha.

Working women are setting the pace in the economy – whether in the corporate and social sectors, and protection of the environment, to the uplifting of the status of rural women.

The employment landscape has changed over the past decade, with women now at the forefront in the work environment, said Sokha, a mother of four, who has been a managing partner at HRINC for nearly 17 years.

“Now women are as confident as men because of better access to education, family support and the greater acceptance of women employees. Broader access to technology for learning and business operations is also helping them.

“In the private sector, employers prefer women over men as they have targets to recruit more women. Women are better at taking risks and quick in decision making compared to men, and they are serious in completing their tasks. They have a strong drive,” she said.

More than 60 per cent of HRINC staff are female, while 70 per cent of the leadership and management team comprise women as well. Cambodia’s leading human resource services provider is helping more female candidates secure high-profile managerial positions, especially in accounting and finance, sales, business development, marketing and human resources.

Sokha herself is a testimony of how a successful woman entrepreneur is contributing to the growth of the nation’s workforce.

“My passion is in helping people reach their best potential. I feel extremely happy to be part of people’s career development journey at HRINC and through the company’s services – recruitment and executive searches, outsourcing, and HRINC jobs.

“As an employer, HRINC provides women employees with both technical and emotional support, and empowers them to take up opportunities and recognise all challenges as ‘growing pains’.

“Small changes that make big differences are what companies should be observing while offering support, such as with flexible working hours,” she said.

Being resilient and adapting quickly to a changing environment are key in being successful in a chosen career, said the human resources specialist.

“In an ever changing and competitive market, resilience and a proactive approach to identifying and solving problems are unquestionably important.

“Being a working mother, technology has enabled me to maintain my productivity at work, while being able to monitor my kids’ schooling and maintain relationships with my relatives, especially in the Covid-19 context.

“Taking three sessions of yoga per week organised by HRINC also helps my self-awareness and self-realisation, and calms my soul to remain in balance,” she said.