Uzbekistan overhauls external labour migration system under Mirziyoyev

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev held a meeting on 2 November 2026 on fundamentally reforming external labour migration. The main goal is to shift from sending unskilled workers abroad to targeted professional and language training that meets the specific requests of foreign employers.

Citizens will be informed about jobs abroad directly in mahallas by the “mahalla seven” teams, who will register data on the Online Mahalla platform, while hokims will bear personal responsibility. Deputy Dilbarkhon Mamajanova said grants will go to educational institutions and entrepreneurs training workers, for each graduate employed abroad. The state will pay 1.5 million soums for each person placed in a high-paying job.

The meeting stressed the need for an intergovernmental legal framework, higher quotas, simpler work visa procedures and easier job changes abroad. More than one million Uzbeks have returned from abroad since the start of the year. The president called for protecting the domestic labour market and prioritising national personnel.