Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- EY conducted annual salary and compensation review for 2021/2022 in Uzbekistan.

The results of the survey reflect the current situation in companies after the market took a vector to stabilize after the pandemic. The significant growth of companies participating in the survey indicates an increased interest in information on personnel policies and wage levels, as well as changes in the labor market under the influence of the pandemic.

As part of the review, the companies noted a number of the most interesting HR issues that will be discussed in this article.

Wage level changes

Wage changes remain a priority for employers. From 2018 to 2021, the average percentage of wage increases was more than 15%. The smallest percentage of actual growth was recorded in 2020 at 15%. A potential reason for the slowdown in wage growth could be the difficulties associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, participating companies increased salaries by an average of 20%. This is the highest percentage of growth in the last 4 years. The sharp increase in wages in 2021 is most likely driven by the goal of catching up with historical growth rates.

A significant increase in wages was noted among senior managers - it amounted to 27%. Further, the following categories of employees were identified: senior management, working staff and middle management with an increase of 21%, 20% and 19%, respectively. A minimum increase of 18% was established for employees at the "specialist" level,

Search and selection of personnel

Participating companies also note continued difficulties in recruiting employees. Employers face inflated salary expectations for candidates and a shortage of qualified professionals in the market. At the same time, an insufficient number of personnel search tools and a low level of automation of HR processes create additional obstacles in the selection of candidates. A more effective recruiting process includes the introduction of new practices, such as the use of analytics, as well as the complex development of internal processes towards digital.

Despite the fact that all participating companies carry out the selection process on their own, only 65% use social networks as a tool for finding employees. At the same time, 45% used this tool a year earlier. Significant growth is due to the fact that it is important for companies to continue to develop social interaction and increase their visibility on online platforms. Using social networks as a new channel for recruitment, the employer will have the opportunity not only to find a candidate with the necessary experience and seniority, but also to positively influence the company's HR brand through direct interaction with potential candidates. Using this tool allows employers not to be limited to direct responses from applicants, but to expand their search through passive candidates.

In addition, working with universities and holding various conferences help attract young professionals. For example, organizing events in the format of "open doors" can attract students and graduates to internships in a company with subsequent employment. Thanks to such initiatives, beginners gain interest and trust in the company, improve the overall image of the organization as an employer open to candidates not only with work experience, but also without it.

In addition, HR bots are beginning to be actively used in recruiting processes. From the side of job seekers, the advantage of bots is that a candidate can ask a question about a vacancy of interest at any time, quickly get answers to standard questions and first get into the list of potential candidates. The bot also increases the credibility of the company by promptly responding to applicants' requests about the company and vacancies. On the other hand, the recruitment process becomes faster for recruiters at the first stage of the employment process. So the recruiter gets more complete candidate profiles thanks to the information collected from the chat. Consequently, the selection process becomes more efficient, due to the fact that the candidate is given more time in the subsequent stages, where the applicant's competencies are assessed and personally acquainted with him.

Employee training and development

Training and development of employees is also one of the most important business tasks for companies in Uzbekistan. The construction and further regulation of the training system in the new format are urgent tasks for employers.

According to the results obtained, the majority of companies did not agree on a budget for training and did not develop long-term plans for the development of this area. Despite the fact that 90% of participating companies have corporate training programs, only 65% of employees received training at the end of the year. The reasons for the low interest of employees in training programs may be the irrelevance or inefficiency of existing programs, high employee workload, etc. 

According to the survey, the most popular areas of study are automation, professional development, leadership and team management. The need for these training programs is explained by the fact that the current working conditions require the expansion of the skills of employees and their adaptation to new technologies in a short time. For example, courses on process automation allow employees to switch from routine to more strategic tasks and optimize their daily work. Leadership and personnel management programs provide an opportunity to develop leadership skills, as well as choose an effective management style. Refresher courses allow employees to gain up-to-date knowledge in the profile direction, improve their professional level, and, as a result, help retain valuable employees and reduce staff turnover, strengthening the company's talent pool.

The integration of training programs with career planning makes it possible to promote employees on the career ladder within the company, while taking into account the necessary skills and knowledge for successful career development planning. According to the latest survey, the percentage of companies using this integration has increased and amounted to 78% compared to 56% last year. The growth of this percentage reflects the relevance of the issue of developing the competencies of employees within the company for successful succession planning.

It should also be noted that companies have responded positively to the transition to a remote learning format. This is confirmed by the fact that 94% of companies conduct distance learning, follows from the results of the latest survey. A complete transition to the online learning format becomes the safest and most convenient. The number of offline events is decreasing - training abroad for all categories of employees. According to the results of the review, the number of such events decreased by an average of 14%. It is important to note that 45% of companies provide the opportunity to take additional courses. These courses include learning foreign languages and passing driving tests. In addition, employers provide free access to various training platforms depending on the interests of employees.

The results of the study show that, despite the uncertainty that remains in connection with the pandemic, as well as the difficulties caused by it, employers in Uzbekistan are making efforts to improve the working conditions of their employees - increase the level of remuneration, ensure the development of staff through updating programs and training formats, as well as introduce new channels for finding qualified personnel.