During a meeting on construction sector issues, Shavkat Mirziyoyev introduced Botir Zohidov as the new Minister of Employment and Poverty Reduction, according to the president’s spokesperson Sherzod Asadov.

Prior to the appointment, Zohidov served as the mayor of the Shaykhantakhur district in Tashkent.

Behzod Musaev, former head of the ministry, has been appointed as the new head of the Agency for External Labor Migration. The agency itself is being transferred from the Ministry of Employment to direct subordination under the Cabinet of Ministers.

President Mirziyoyev emphasized that Zohidov is tasked with taking the Ministry of Employment's work "to a new stage." Specifically, the "Mahallabay" Agency is being dissolved, and all its functions are being transferred directly to the ministry.

Botir Zohidov (born 1982) graduated from the Tashkent Financial Institute and the Banking and Finance Academy. Over the years, he has held leadership positions in the banking sector.

From 2017 to 2020, Zohidov worked as Deputy Chairman of the Central Bank, and in 2020, he became the First Deputy Chairman of the CB. In September 2022, he was appointed mayor of the Shaykhantakhur district.