Uzbekistan can employ 287,000 citizens in 34 countries

At a meeting on labor migration issues, the head of state stated that Uzbekistan needs to connect two factors: citizens' desire to work abroad and the growing demand for labor in other countries. According to him, the task of industry leaders and hokims is to prepare Uzbeks for work in the international market and help them find suitable vacancies.

In recent years, the system of organized labor migration has expanded. If earlier work was carried out with only three countries, now Uzbekistan cooperates in this area with 27 states.

Over ten years, the number of Uzbeks working abroad has halved, but the volume of remittances they send to their families has quadrupled. The President linked this to a change in the attitude toward specialists from Uzbekistan: abroad, they are increasingly going not for simple jobs but as qualified personnel.

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Hokims, ambassadors, and heads of technical colleges were instructed to revise the training of citizens for more lucrative jobs. Candidates should understand in advance in which country and for which employer they will work, how much they will be able to earn, and how their rights will be protected.

When entering foreign labor markets, ambassadors, hokims, and technical colleges must act in coordination. Positive experience has already been gained in Germany, Turkey, Slovakia, and Qatar: employers were found, connected with technical colleges, and employment of Uzbeks was organized.

The European Union has for the first time included the attraction of specialists from Central Asia in its migration strategy. However, the role of Uzbek diplomatic missions, regional authorities, and technical colleges in utilizing this demand remains insufficient.

The United Kingdom was cited as an example, which requires 33,000 workers. Currently, citizens are mainly sent there for seasonal agricultural work, whereas agreements with employers in medicine, logistics, and industry have not yet been established. The issue of Uzbek participation in the "Youth Mobility" program has also not been resolved. An agreement has been reached with Italy to expand labor migration opportunities, but this resource is not yet being used in practice.

One of the main conditions for obtaining high-paying jobs abroad, the President noted, is knowledge of languages. About 200,000 young Uzbeks have learned English well and obtained certificates, but pathways for their employment in the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, and Denmark are not yet opening actively enough.

This year, Germany submitted requests for 45,000 specialists from Uzbekistan, but only 2,000 people were employed. The main limitation was the lack of candidates proficient in German. Therefore, vocational training, as instructed by the President, should immediately be combined with language preparation.

In Andijan, an entrepreneur restored an idle technical college and, with the involvement of teachers from Germany, prepares 1,500 specialists annually. This approach is planned to be extended to other regions. In each region, it is proposed to organize training in German simultaneously with vocational training in 2–3 technical colleges.

For schools and technical colleges, 500 native German speakers are planned to be engaged next year. In addition, starting from the next academic year, the state order for training German language teachers in universities is instructed to be doubled.

Large companies from Germany, Japan, and South Korea are interested in training the specialists they need directly in Uzbekistan's technical colleges. They are ready to participate in developing educational programs and equipping educational institutions. Within a month, 20 technical colleges are to be selected, which will be restructured next year to meet the requirements of foreign employers.

Another plan involves transferring 2–3 technical colleges in each region to large entrepreneurs. Through these institutions, it is planned to train at least 30,000 specialists annually who will be able to start work immediately. Technical colleges will be transferred for management for 15 years, and graduates will receive state-standard qualification certificates.

For businesses, a mechanism will be created to deduct expenses for personnel training and equipment purchases from paid taxes. Entrepreneurs are also planned to be paid a grant for each graduate who successfully finds employment abroad.

Part of the technical college buildings will be transferred for free lease to train young people in professions and languages. For invited foreign teachers and experts, the social tax will be set at 1%. Equipment and inventory necessary for the educational process will be exempt from customs duties.

Authorities also intend to create conditions for two large international recruitment companies to operate in Uzbekistan. They will not only find employers but also participate in training specialists and their direct employment.

This year, vacancies in 34 countries are available for Uzbeks, but citizens are not sufficiently informed about these opportunities. Information about foreign job openings should be provided to every mahalla. For each order, the country, required profession, place of training, and necessary foreign language must be specified. The "Mahalla Seven" will inform citizens wishing to work abroad about these opportunities and enter candidate data on the "Online Mahalla" platform.

At the meeting, the need to protect the rights of citizens working abroad was separately emphasized. Uzbeks facing problems will be able to submit a request through the "Online Mahalla" platform.

From November 30 to December 5, the forum "New Uzbekistan — Crossroads of Global Opportunities" is planned in Tashkent. Representatives from 52 countries are expected to attend. The event should help entrepreneurs find new export directions, and citizens interested in working abroad establish contacts with employers from Europe and the Persian Gulf countries.

The meeting also considered the employment of citizens who returned from abroad. Since the beginning of the year, 1,116,000 people have returned to Uzbekistan. Among them are specialists who gained experience in industry, construction, logistics, services, and agriculture in Germany, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Japan, and Russia.

The President called this human resource an opportunity for domestic enterprises. These are people who worked at large industrial facilities abroad, mastered modern technologies, and acquired experience in a different work culture. Hokims and industry leaders should offer them suitable jobs and utilize their knowledge.

For this purpose, a platform with data on the workplace, profession, and experience of returned migrants will be created. It will be connected to the system used by hokims and industry leaders. By the end of the year, it is instructed to find suitable jobs for 250,000 returned citizens. Those who want to start their own business should be provided with mentorship and necessary conditions.