From: The Encyclopedia of Canada's Peoples/Cambodians/khmer/Janet Mclellan
In traditional Cambodian society, the majority of people lived in rural villages which were semi-independent and loosely integrated into the state. Most rural Khmer were engaged in agricultural production and did not enter into business because of the low social status associated with commerce. Business, finance, and entrepreneurship tended to be developed and filled by urban Vietnamese and Chinese minorities. Many ethnic Khmer who lived in cities were members and relatives of the royal family and military personnel and, as part of Cambodia’s elite, were engaged in government, the arts, and education. Before the Communist Khmer Rouge took control, rural Khmer in the Battambang area near Thailand had begun to work in factories and set up several small businesses. In general, however, most Khmer who entered Canada did not have job skills suited to an urban society.
Because the Khmer Rouge regime targeted business-oriented minorities and Khmer elites for execution, Canada has a scarcity of these individuals. Montreal, where Cambodian professionals and business people lived before 1980, has the strongest Cambodian economic base in Canada and has kept most of the Khmer professionals (teachers, medical specialists, engineers). For example, in 1995 there was only one Cambodian doctor outside Quebec. The few Cambodian-owned businesses in Canada are mainly identified as Chinese/ Khmer. In most communities, Cambodians lack the capital, expertise, and contacts to establish small businesses.
Except in Quebec, which emphasized language acquisition, the majority of Cambodians were encouraged by both private and government sponsors to seek unskilled work as soon as possible after arrival. Today, most Cambodians remain in unskilled factory jobs. Since they have come to be recognized as valuable and hard-working employees, companies tend to hire many of them (both men and women). For several years Cambodian women in Ontario have worked on local mushroom farms. Cambodians are also engaged in informal seasonal work, such as worm picking. In certain areas – London, Newmarket, Toronto, and Windsor, for example – Cambodians sought jobs in companies already employing their compatriots.
The recession of the early 1990s displaced many workers in Cambodian communities, especially in Ontario and Quebec, forcing large numbers onto unemployment insurance and eventually welfare. Limited formal education, combined with little proficiency in English, restricted their access to the job market and government-sponsored retraining. Some individuals, such as widows, single parents with children, and those with health problems, cannot work. Continuing difficulties in getting language instruction further limit employment opportunities.
