Leading garment buyers are "very optimistic" about Cambodia's garment industry, said the International Labour Organisation (ILO). Twenty-eight garment company representatives attended a two-day meeting on working conditions and the state of the sector, said the ILO in a statement Monday. The meeting took place in Hong Kong.

The ILO reported that the buyers represent 60 percent of Cambodia's garment exports, which total US$2.6 billion. The sector employs 350,000 workers. The ILO runs a labour monitoring program, which links working conditions to Cambodia's access to the US export market. Garment makers have complained of slower sales to the US due to softer demand in Cambodia's major export market.