Uzbekistan Quality Job Creation as a Cornerstone for Sustainable Economic Growth

Participation of women in the labor force remains low.
Despite the large 
economic adjustments and ongoing reforms, labor participation rates in 
Uzbekistan are still relatively low, and the female labor participation rate is 
a particular challenge. With only a slight improvement since independence, 
Uzbekistan’s labor force participation, at 69.2% in 2018, remains below the 
Sources: Based on data from Uzbekistan Statistics (2018) and CER and UNDP (2013). 
Figure 3.10: Shares of Employment in State and Nonstate Sectors, 
Uzbekistan, 2005–2017 
(%)
State sector
Nonstate sector
0
20
40
60
80
100
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2015
2016
2017

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Uzbekistan Quality Job Creation as a Cornerstone for Sustainable Economic Growth
71.2% average for European and Central Asian countries.
12
The gap between 
the labor force participation rates of males and females has yet to be narrowed. 
On the contrary, from 1995 to 2018 the gap widened by almost 2 percentage 
points to 24.6 percentage points, reflecting the lack of improvement in the 
labor participation rate among females and the slight improvement among 
males during the period (Figure 3.11). An important factor that impacts 
women’s labor force participation is the low coverage of kindergartens and 
nurseries, which prevents women from relinquishing time spent on childcare.
12
World Bank. World Development Indicators. http://datatopics.worldbank.org/world-development-indicators/ 
(accessed 7 August 2019). 
Box 3.5: Government Employment Promotion Program for 2018
Employment especially among young people is the most serious problem in 
Uzbekistan, according to data from a sociological survey by the Izhtimoiy Fikr 
Center (
Regnum.ru
2018). The government’s Employment Promotion Program for 
2018 gives priority to job creation across all sectors. The development of small 
businesses and private enterprises, as well as support for craftsmanship, remains 
very important. The Employment Promotion Program aims to boost employment 
through mobilizing resources to create more (
Gazeta.uz
2018) 
• 
permanent jobs (346,000 jobs) by implementing regional road maps and 
investment projects and stimulating the growth of private enterprises; and 
• 
seasonal and temporary jobs (169,500 jobs) in agriculture and construction, 
including public works and overseas employment.
Jobs in permanent workplaces are to be created by setting up new capacities and 
expanding existing ones including those in industry, services, agriculture, rural 
construction, and infrastructure. Seasonal and temporary employment through 
public works programs in agriculture include jobs in (i) agricultural processing, 
crop growing and harvesting, silk-worm breeding, and construction of housing 
and other infrastructure; and (ii) placements abroad through the Agency for 
External Labor Migration. Public works will mainly benefit individuals from socially 
vulnerable sectors of the population.
To achieve this, the Employment Promotion Program plans to (i) establish a 
regional road map of jobs; (ii) use modern information technology and programs 
to make job search easier (e.g., college.mehnat.uz); and (iii) conduct on-site and 
online job fairs in different cities and districts together with potential employers, 
businesses, and organizations. 
Sources: 
Gazeta.uz
(2018) and 
Regnum.ru
(2018).

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