The Cong mainly cultivate burnt-over land using traditional slash and burn techniques. They make holes in the ground for seeds with sticks. Recently, they have begun using oxen or buffaloes to draw ploughs. Apart from this, agriculture, food gathering and fishing play a major role in Cong life. The Cong catch fish by hand or by using poisonous plants.
Cong women are unfamiliar with weaving.
They grow cotton then use it to barter for cloth. Cong men and women are skilled at basketry, particularly making rattan mats with red dye. The Cong live in stilt houses. Each house comprises three or four bays separated by partitions. The central bay is reserved for receiving guests.