Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 12 March 2021, a discussion was held in Tashkent on the results of a study on the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on households across the country.

The event was attended by the leaders and experts of the Center for Economic Research and Reforms (CERR), the Development Strategy Center, the World Bank office, interested ministries and departments, research institutes, representatives of international organizations and the diplomatic corps.

During the round table, the participants were presented the results of a study within the framework of the project "Listening to the Citizens of Uzbekistan" (SSU), which assesses the impact of the pandemic on the socio-economic situation and health of the country’s citizens from April 2020 to January 2021.

Since 2018, in the course of a project implemented by CERR and the Development Strategy Center with the assistance of the World Bank, monthly surveys have been conducted to analyze the opinions and well-being of respondents from 4,000 households across the country. The poll also involves the chairmen of 600 mahallas in all regions of Uzbekistan.

After the introduction of the first nationwide quarantine in March 2020, the project also monitors the impact of the pandemic on the socio-economic well-being and health of citizens. Since the beginning of the crisis, over 18 thousand surveys have been conducted among representatives of households and 4,000 surveys among chairmen of mahallas.

The data collected during the implementation of the project is taken into account in the development of government measures to reduce poverty among the population, mitigate the socio-economic consequences of the pandemic for vulnerable groups of the population, including women, poor families and the unemployed, as well as planning programs to restore the economy of Uzbekistan in the post-crisis period.

Based on the project data, the roundtable participants were informed about the impact of the pandemic on employment, labor migration and remittances, the situation of female-headed households, the increase in inequality between men and women, as well as the effectiveness of using various instruments of social support for the population over the past year.

According to recent results of "SSU", the number of vacancies on job search sites, which mainly covered the capital’s labor market in April 2020, decreased by more than 54% compared to the previous year. In December, their number continued to remain 20% lower compared to the same period in 2019. At the same time, the number of job seekers has increased.

In April 2020, less than half of the respondents noted that some of their family members were able to continue working after the start of quarantine. This led to a sharp decline in labor income - the main source of the population’s well-being. While most of the initial employment disruptions were temporary, the rate of recovery in 2020 was slower to quarantine levels, especially among previously self-employed individuals.

In November 2020, there was concern about price increases from respondents. However, by the end of the year the situation stabilized, returning to pre-crisis indicators.

Due to the abrupt cessation of labor migration abroad, tens of thousands of families were left without receipts from remittances, on which they traditionally depend.

Following the pandemic, the proportion of households indicating that their family members are actively considering migrating abroad in the future fell to almost zero. Their number is still low in 2021 compared to the level of 2019. The situation is likely to remain unchanged until mass vaccination of the population is carried out and restrictions on travel abroad are completely lifted.

As the study shows, since April 2020, about 5.2 million people have received emergency assistance in one form or another at least once. Most of it came in the form of benefits in kind, vouchers (68%), or lump-sum cash benefits (29%).

Help is reported more than twice as likely among respondents in urban areas. In general, households with lower incomes became recipients of material assistance.

In the last months of 2020, the chairmen of the mahallas reported a decrease in the number of citizens’ applications for social assistance. Thus, the number of new applications for childcare benefits for families with children (aged 0 to 2 years) decreased in 58% of makhallas in August to 28% in January 2021. The number of new applications for benefits for low-income families with children (over 2 years old) decreased in 51% of makhallas to 32% over the same period.

Applications for other benefits for the poor (not specifically related to the presence of children in the family) fell in 56% of makhallas in August to 21% in January 2021. In August, requests for help from other charitable foundations were considered in 46% of makhallas, their number dropped to almost zero in 2021.

According to the experts participating in the round table, a decrease in the number of citizens’ requests for emergency and social assistance can be considered a positive trend since it is one of the indicators of a gradual improvement in the economic situation of the population, in which people are less in need of this kind of support.

In his speech, CERR Director Obid Khakimov noted that President Mirziyoyev’s message to the Oliy Majlis, among other tasks set for the government for 2021, indicated the need to develop a comprehensive strategy for poverty reduction and social protection based on international best practices.

“In a situation of economic crisis provoked by a pandemic, work in this direction becomes urgent. The data collected during the implementation of the project “Listening to the Citizens of Uzbekistan” contributes to the development of more effective and closer to the real needs of people measures to reduce poverty,” O. Khakimov emphasized.

During the event, World Bank experts also presented the preliminary results of the Country Diagnostic Study (CDS) to the audience. This document analyzes the problems and tasks that Uzbekistan has to solve in order to reduce the level of poverty and ensure the growth of the national economy in the coming years.

The CDS serves as the basis for the development of a framework for cooperation between the World Bank and Uzbekistan for 2022-2026. It will outline the priority areas for financial and analytical support to the government from the Bank.

The participants of the round table expressed their recommendations regarding various socio-economic areas that need to be analyzed within the framework of the CDI in order to further assist Uzbekistan in solving them during the implementation of the above-mentioned cooperation program.