"Extreme Heat Leaves Cambodia’s Informal Workers Exposed Without Financial Protection", 25 May 2026

… By mid-morning, the concrete beneath Keo Yityan’s feet is already radiating heat. The 44-year-old construction worker spends long days under Cambodia’s punishing sun, where temperatures have climbed high enough to make outdoor labor dangerous. When he gets sick from the heat, he stops earning…

As Cambodia faces worsening heatwaves linked to climate change, informal workers are urging the government to expand social protection beyond basic healthcare, warning that current support under the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) still leaves them exposed to lost income, workplace accidents and financial hardship.

Cambodia’s informal workforce includes construction workers, street vendors, tuk-tuk drivers, security guards and small-scale traders — many of whom spend long hours outdoors with little protection from extreme weather.

Although the NSSF has expanded voluntary enrollment to informal workers, they still receive far fewer benefits than formal employees, who are entitled to pensions, paid leave and work injury protection.

Workers and labor groups say healthcare coverage alone no longer reflects the realities facing Cambodia’s informal economy, particularly as rising temperatures and flooding increasingly disrupt outdoor labor.

… Cambodia has been hit by increasingly severe heatwaves and floods in recent years as climate change intensifies across Southeast Asia…

Temperatures have remained high this year, with forecasts warning they could again reach 41C in some areas, raising concerns for workers exposed to direct sunlight and unsafe outdoor conditions.

For many informal workers, extreme heat is no longer just uncomfortable — it is cutting into their ability to earn a living. Vendors and laborers working outdoors often continue through dangerous temperatures because taking a day off means losing income.

Heat and flooding have also worsened physical and mental strain among informal workers already surviving on unstable wages. Many continue working without safe rest areas, protective equipment or reliable access to social protection…