Exploring the Competitiveness of Cambodia as an IT Outsourcing Destination

Cambodia – Relevant Background Information

Cambodia’s population is approximately 15 million, with a median age of 24.5 years (National Institute of Statistics, 2013). Approximately 80% of households live in rural areas (Asian Development Bank, 2014). During the genocide under the Khmer Rouge (1975-79), Cambodia lost approximately one fifth of its population (Chandler, 2008), particularly the elite, middle class, the educated, city dwellers and professionals (Lambourne, 2013). By 1991, at the time of the Paris Peace Accords, much of Cambodia’s physical infrastructure was destroyed and the country lacked important attributes of a modern state, such as a legal system with property rights, trusted currency, civil service, education system and civil society (Naron, 2012). Low priority was given to higher education during the immediate post-conflict period, when most emphasis was placed on restarting primary and secondary education (Ahrens & McNamara, 2013).