Mirziyoyev: Uzbekistan to Send 287,000 Citizens to Work in 34 Countries

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev held a meeting on labor migration, noting that 168 million people worldwide are external migrants. Uzbekistan has citizens who want to work abroad, while demand for workers in other countries is high. The number of partner countries for organized labor migration has grown from three to 27.

Over the past ten years, the number of Uzbeks working abroad has halved, but the money they send to their families has quadrupled. Regional gaps remain wide: the average monthly transfer per worker abroad is $1,850 in Fergana region, compared with $400 in Karakalpakstan and Tashkent region. Germany ordered 45,000 specialists this year, but only 2,000 people have been placed, mainly due to a shortage of German speakers.

Plans include training 10,000 people in German and a profession next year, with a migration center in each region funded at 8 billion sums. Private employment agencies have tripled in two years, but the president acknowledged errors, corruption and fraud, and a separate law has been adopted to address them.