President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan reviewed a presentation on measures aimed at regulating external labor migration, preparing citizens for high-income jobs abroad, and providing them with comprehensive protection. According to the presidential press service, Uzbek citizens currently work in nearly 40 countries, with the number of those employed overseas reaching 1.2 million. It was noted that demand for skilled labor is increasing in European and East Asian countries, and the European Commission's migration strategy until 2030 places special emphasis on cooperation with Central Asia.
Reports indicate that over 100,000 orders for qualified specialists have been received from abroad. Specifically, Germany requires 40,000 nurses, while Japan needs 15,000 specialists in construction, logistics, and service sectors. To meet this demand, joint educational projects are being implemented at technical colleges in cooperation with companies from Germany, Korea, and Japan. Currently, 8,500 citizens are studying in 12 projects based on the "profession plus language" principle, with 3,000 of them already employed.
Plans are in place to increase the number of such projects to 20 and expand the scope of training. Additionally, a special 600-seat training center is envisioned in Tashkent, capable of teaching in-demand professions and foreign languages, as well as conducting international exams. Courses to prepare nurses for international exams will be opened at medical technical colleges in Andijan, Samarkand, Fergana, and Tashkent. In the construction sector, centers for training workers and assessing their qualifications will be expanded.
Proposals were made to establish unified migration centers and driver training hubs in the regions. Furthermore, cooperation with the US, UK, France, Spain, Italy, Turkey, and Korea will be developed to expand seasonal work directions. New financial mechanisms were also discussed in the presentation. In particular, it was proposed to cover 50% of citizens' costs for learning foreign languages and fully cover professional exam expenses, allocating funds directly to the citizens themselves.
Plans include improving the "Work Abroad" migration platform and introducing artificial intelligence technologies to streamline services. At the same time, the necessity of expanding the activities of the Migration Agency and strengthening its involvement in supplying the domestic labor market with qualified personnel was emphasized. The presentation also focused on protecting the rights and interests of citizens working abroad and monitoring their living and working conditions.
Additionally, the need to regulate the labor of temporarily residing foreign citizens in the country, combat illegal migration, legalize informal labor, and enhance interagency cooperation in this area was highlighted. The president approved the proposals and gave instructions to responsible officials to organize external labor migration in line with modern demands and make extensive use of digital solutions in this field.
Source: www.gazeta.uz