Nearly 60% of graduates in Uzbekistan face unemployment – Behzod Musaev

Minister of Employment and Poverty Reduction Behzod Musaev presented the latest data on the employment of 2024 university graduates. The information was reviewed at the recent session of the Legislative Chamber.

Musaev noted that out of the 214,000 graduates who completed their education this year, 41% or 88,000 people have already found jobs through the unified national employment system.

However, 59% or 126,000 young specialists remain unemployed. In August, there are plans to employ each graduate based on their place of residence through district and city employment systems.

The minister emphasized that to address youth unemployment, active efforts with organizations will be conducted from August to September.

Currently, there are 358,000 registered job vacancies in the country, of which 112,000 require higher education.

Of the total number of vacancies, 81,000 are in government structures, while 277,000 are in the private sector. The largest number of open positions is observed in the following sectors:

Services — 96,000;
Education — 56,000;
Industry and Manufacturing — 57,000;
Agriculture — 48,000;
Construction — 32,000;
Healthcare — 26,000;
Finance and Insurance — 5,000;
Communication and Information Technology — 7,000;
Culture — 4,000.

Additional employment measures are planned for the second half of the year. Specifically, in the agricultural sector, where around 500,000 people are expected to be employed during the harvest season.

Additional jobs are expected to be provided in tourism, international highways and shopping centers, high-rise building construction, the creation of New Uzbekistan residential areas, the reconstruction of social facilities, and the implementation of more than 5,000 investment projects.

At the beginning of the year, the president announced plans to adopt a program to employ 5 million people. Last year, the job creation plan in 16 districts and cities was only 30% fulfilled.

The Ministry of Employment has also been tasked with training 100,000 Uzbeks and sending them abroad.