Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Uzbekistan plans to send 287,000 citizens to work in 34 countries this year, as the government seeks to improve overseas employment opportunities, strengthen vocational training and protect migrant workers’ rights.
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev announced the plans at a meeting on labour migration, highlighting changes in the global labour market. An estimated 168 million people worldwide are international migrants. He said Uzbekistan’s priority was to connect citizens seeking work abroad with countries facing labour shortages.
“People must thoroughly master their profession, know their worth and be able to rely on their country,” the president said.
Uzbekistan has expanded organised labour migration in recent years. The number of countries with which it cooperates in this area has increased from three to 27, while the number of major foreign employer partners has grown by nearly 400.
Although the number of Uzbek citizens working abroad has halved over the past decade, the money they send to their families has quadrupled. Mirziyoyev said this reflected a change in how Uzbek specialists are viewed internationally, with more citizens going abroad as qualified professionals rather than unskilled workers.
However, the amounts received by families vary significantly across regions. The average monthly transfer per person working abroad stands at US$1,850 in Ferghana Region. The figure is US$400 in Karakalpakstan and Tashkent Region, US$500 in Syrdarya, US$600 in Jizzakh and Navoi, and less than US$700 in Surkhandarya and Khorezm.
The president called on regional governors, ambassadors and technical college leaders to improve their efforts to prepare citizens for higher-paying jobs overseas.
“People must know where they will work, how much they will earn and who will protect their rights,” he said.
Mirziyoyev said ambassadors, regional administrations and technical colleges should work together to secure employment opportunities. He cited cooperation with employers in Germany, Türkiye, Slovakia and Qatar as examples of successful partnerships.
He criticised the limited activity of diplomatic missions in other countries, noting that the European Union had included the recruitment of specialists from Central Asia in its migration strategy for the first time.
The president pointed to opportunities in the United Kingdom, which needs 33,000 workers. However, Uzbek citizens are still sent there mainly for seasonal agricultural work, while clear agreements with employers in healthcare, logistics and industry have yet to be reached. Uzbekistan’s participation in the Youth Mobility Scheme also remains unresolved. An agreement with Italy to expand labour migration opportunities has not yet been fully implemented.
Foreign language skills are another key requirement for securing well-paid jobs abroad, Mirziyoyev said. Around 200,000 young people in Uzbekistan have learned English to a high level and obtained certificates, but efforts to connect them with employers in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden and Denmark remain insufficient.
Germany has requested 45,000 specialists from Uzbekistan this year, but only 2,000 have been employed. The main obstacle is a shortage of candidates who speak German, highlighting the need to combine vocational and language training.
In cooperation with German company Globogate, 20 medical technical colleges are training 1,500 nurses annually. At the Karshi Technical College of Advanced Professional Skills, German instructors teach young people both the language and a profession.
In Andijan, an entrepreneur has renovated an idle technical college and, with the help of German teachers, is preparing 1,500 specialists a year. Mirziyoyev called for this model to be extended to other regions, with two or three technical colleges in each region offering German language and vocational training.
German company TELC has begun training 100 German language teachers at the Intil International Training Centre. They are expected to start working at technical colleges across the regions early next year.
First deputy regional governors have been instructed to study the centre’s experience and establish a unified migration centre in every region next year. Each region will receive 8 billion soums for this purpose. The plan is to train 10,000 people in vocational skills and German and help them find jobs in Germany.
The president said German language teaching should receive the same attention as English. Next year, 500 native German speakers will be recruited to teach in schools and technical colleges. The state-funded quota for training German language teachers at universities is also to be doubled from the next academic year.
Major companies from Germany, Japan and South Korea have expressed interest in training specialists at Uzbek technical colleges and are ready to invest in curricula and equipment. The government plans to select 20 colleges within a month and restructure them from next year to meet foreign employers’ requirements.
Demand for skilled workers in construction, industry and logistics is growing both in Uzbekistan and abroad. Tashkent Pipe Plant in the Sergeli district has proposed training 2,500 welders, electricians and fitters annually using its own specialists as instructors.
The government also plans to place two or three technical colleges in each region under the management of major entrepreneurs for 15 years. They are expected to train at least 30,000 job-ready specialists annually. Graduates will receive state-standard qualification certificates.
A system will be introduced allowing businesses to deduct from their taxes the costs of workforce training and equipment purchases. They will also be eligible for grants for each graduate successfully placed in a job abroad. The colleges will establish direct links with foreign employers.
“I believe our leading entrepreneurs will help the state build a ‘brand of Uzbek specialists’ abroad,” Mirziyoyev said.
The president also addressed the role of private employment agencies. Following the simplification of licensing procedures, their number has tripled over two years, while the number of citizens placed in jobs abroad through them has increased fivefold. He acknowledged cases of errors, corruption and fraud involving jobseekers. A separate law has been adopted to establish a legal framework for the sector.
From next year, responsibility for sending citizens to work abroad will be transferred to the most reliable private employment agencies. They will receive an incentive payment of 1.5 million soums for each person placed in a high-paying job.
Some technical college buildings will be provided to private organisations free of charge for vocational and language training. A 1% social tax rate will apply to foreign teachers and experts recruited for these programmes, while equipment and supplies required for training will be exempt from customs duties.
Private employment agencies will also operate under a transparent system and be assessed through a rating mechanism. The main criteria will include actual job placements, protection of workers’ rights, salary levels and social guarantees.
Mirziyoyev instructed the relevant authorities to submit a draft resolution within a month to further reform the sector, classify agency activities as social services and simplify their taxation accordingly.
The president also called for the establishment of a presence in Uzbekistan by two major international recruitment companies next year. Such companies should be able to train specialists locally and place them directly with employers abroad.
Despite the potential to place 287,000 people in 34 countries this year, many citizens remain unaware of the opportunities. Cooperation between the Migration Agency and the mahalla system also needs improvement.
“We need quality in migration, not just figures,” Mirziyoyev said.
Information about overseas vacancies is to be made available in every mahalla. Each job order should specify the country, the required profession, where candidates can receive training and which language they need to know.
The mahalla’s seven-member community structure will inform interested citizens about opportunities and register candidates on the Online Mahalla platform. Regional governors and responsible organisations will oversee their vocational and language training and subsequent employment.
Regional governors will review progress monthly, while district governors will do so twice a month, with the participation of migration officials and the mahalla representatives. The government will introduce stricter monitoring of each candidate’s preparation and placement.
Mirziyoyev said securing agreements with employers alone was not enough to create well-paid jobs abroad. Uzbekistan must pursue active economic diplomacy with developed countries and work systematically on quotas, work visas and recognition of qualifications.
The president described the protection of citizens working abroad as a permanent responsibility of the state.
“Every compatriot working abroad is truly a courageous person, working tirelessly to provide for their family and secure a future for their children. They are our citizens and our children,” he said.
Uzbek citizens facing difficulties abroad will be able to request assistance through the Online Mahalla platform. Where necessary, the ambassador will personally visit the citizen, protect their rights and help resolve the problem.
Mirziyoyev also instructed regional governors to ensure that the families and parents of migrant workers live in adequate conditions and that their children receive a good education.
The New Uzbekistan: Crossroads of Global Opportunities forum will be held in Tashkent from 30 November to 5 December. It is expected to bring together representatives from 52 countries and help businesses identify new export destinations, while connecting jobseekers with employers from Europe and the Persian Gulf.
Each Uzbek ambassador has been tasked with bringing 50 to 100 representatives of major importers and recruitment companies from their host country. The government aims to reach concrete agreements with foreign partners for 2027 in exports, tourism and labour migration.
The president said the work of ambassadors and regional governors should extend beyond finding vacancies to cover the entire process, including employment and migrants’ adaptation to their new environment.
The meeting also addressed the employment of citizens returning from abroad. Since the beginning of the year, 1.116 million people have returned from labour migration. Many gained experience in industry, construction, logistics, services and agriculture in Germany, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Japan and Russia.
Mirziyoyev said their experience of working at major industrial enterprises and using modern technologies and work practices represented an important resource for Uzbek businesses. Regional governors and industry leaders were instructed to offer them suitable jobs and make use of their skills.
A platform will be created to record the workplace, profession and length of service of citizens returning from abroad. It will be connected to the system used by regional governors and industry officials.
The government aims to find suitable jobs for 250,000 returnees by the end of the year. Those wishing to start businesses will be offered guidance and support.
The president also raised the issue of recognising employment periods and pension rights accrued abroad. Uzbek citizens legally work in more than 40 countries and pay pension contributions alongside taxes.
“ Their employment record abroad must be recognised when they return home, and it must be taken into account when their pensions are calculated,” Mirziyoyev said.
This year, Uzbekistan signed bilateral agreements with Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan and Türkiye on the recognition of employment records and pension rights. The authorities have been instructed to pursue similar arrangements with Russia, Germany, Japan, South Korea, the Baltic states and the Balkans, where many Uzbek citizens work.
Officials are to hold talks with foreign counterparts and report concrete results by the end of the year.
Uzbekistan is also becoming more active in the global labour market as its economy develops and living standards rise. The number of foreign nationals residing in the country for extended periods has approached 250,000.
Of these, 36,000 have work permits and another 24,000 are students. Mirziyoyev said the authorities needed accurate information about the activities and sources of income of the remaining foreign residents.
Around 80% of foreign nationals with work permits are employed in construction, building materials manufacturing, textiles and services, mainly in jobs that do not require high qualifications. The president said Uzbekistan, like developed countries, should protect its domestic labour market and give priority to its own citizens when creating new jobs.
The relevant authorities have been instructed to launch a platform within a month to monitor the places of residence and employment of foreign nationals staying in Uzbekistan for extended periods.
The meeting also included a discussion with entrepreneurs working in the sector and reports from regional governors.
