Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Uzbekistan and Sweden have discussed plans to recruit Uzbek workers for jobs in agriculture, construction and healthcare under a pilot labour mobility programme, Uzbekistan's Migration Agency said.
The talks took place on 12 November at the first meeting of the joint steering committee for the Pilot Migration Partnership Programme (PMMP).
The meeting brought together representatives of Uzbekistan's Migration Agency, the Swedish Migration Agency, the two countries' diplomatic services and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
The sides identified three potential areas of cooperation. The first covers seasonal jobs in agriculture, forestry and tourism.
The second concerns skilled occupations, including welding and certain construction trades. The third focuses on training healthcare workers and subsequently arranging their employment.
Preliminary figures discussed included groups of up to 100 seasonal workers, 50 welders and 100 healthcare professionals. These figures have not yet been approved as quotas or commitments by employers.
Director of Uzbekistan's Migration Agency Bekhzod Abdurakhmonov proposed moving towards specific pilot recruitment rounds alongside the development of an overall programme.
The sides plan to identify four or five priority occupations and agree on employers' needs, qualification and language requirements, and candidate training schedules.
Uzbekistan said it was ready to organise preliminary candidate selection and provide vocational and language training.
Foreign instructors could be involved if necessary. Qualification assessments could also be conducted with the participation of potential employers.
The parties separately discussed healthcare training based on the example of Sweden's Södermanland region. The proposed model involves candidates learning Swedish in Uzbekistan to B2 level before continuing their studies in Sweden to reach C1.
C1 proficiency is required to meet professional certification standards. However, a separate recruitment programme for healthcare workers has not yet been agreed.
The IOM confirmed its readiness to support the project under a joint declaration of intent.
Participants also discussed transparent candidate selection, verification of employers' staffing needs and measures to prevent illegal employment and malpractice by intermediaries.
Further plans include establishing direct contacts between Swedish employers, industry associations and licensed private employment agencies in Uzbekistan. The sides are also considering a familiarisation visit to Uzbekistan by representatives of Swedish companies.
Meetings between recruitment companies from the two countries could take place in early 2027. If employer demand is confirmed, the sides intend to prepare the first groups of candidates for subsequent recruitment stages.
The participants agreed to continue developing an action plan and hold regular online consultations.
The next in-person meeting of the steering committee could take place in Uzbekistan in late January 2027.
