Unemployment rate drops in Uzbekistan

The unemployment rate in Uzbekistan has dropped from 6.8% to 5.8% since the beginning of 2024, according to the Ministry of Poverty Alleviation and Employment. This one percentage point decrease reflects a positive shift in employment opportunities across the country.

As of July 2024, 15.1 million people, or 41% of Uzbekistan’s population, are considered economically active, meaning they are of working age and willing to work. Of this group, 14.2 million (94%) are employed across various sectors:

• Official sector: 6.8 million people (48%)
• Informal sector: 5.5 million people (38.8%)
• Employed abroad: 1.9 million people (13.6%)

Despite the progress, 876,000 individuals remain in need of employment, down from 1.24 million at the start of the year. This reduction aligns with recent government efforts to improve job accessibility and support entrepreneurship.

Earlier this year, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev emphasized initiatives to boost employment and reduce bureaucratic barriers for businesses, noting that while 1.3 million people were officially unemployed at the start of 2024, an additional 2.4 million were anticipated to enter the job market this year.