Following a meeting in February between Uzbek Minister of Employment and Labor Relations Bekhzod Musayev and Canadian Ambassador to Uzbekistan Alan Hamson, the Agency for External Labour Migration has reported that North American construction companies are to invite 5,000 citizens of Uzbekistan to work in Canada. The recruitment is part of the Canadian authorities’ plan to attract 500,000 immigrants annually until the end of 2025. Through an unprecedented wave of newcomers, the government expects to compensate for Canada’s acute labour shortage aggravated by the country’s aging population.
The country is currently seeking carpenters, welders, electricians, plumbers, concrete workers, glaziers, roofers and flooring assistants, and depending on qualifications, will offer wages of $12.50 to $30 per hour. Applicants must be aged between 18-45, should be proficient in English, French or Spanish, and have a local credential, certificate or diploma of vocational training in a professional trade.
Uzbekistan has been actively developing legal labour-migration pathways to developed countries and for several consecutive years, Germany has hired Uzbek workers in 330 sectors under the Ausbildung (work and study) program. In 2022, some 2,000 Uzbek seasonal labour workers were hired in the United Kingdom; a number topped only by those from Ukraine.
Against the backdrop of the escalating Arab-Israeli conflict and the departure of Palestinian workers en masse, Israel has now decided to hire Uzbek workers for construction projects. Japan has also been actively recruiting Uzbek labour migrants in construction, as well as in medical services. Qualified Uzbek specialists with an appropriate level of Japanese language can earn $1,000-1,500 per month in Japan.
According to statistics, in 2023, 38,400 Uzbek labour migrants were officially employed in jobs outside Uzbekistan and to date, the Agency for External Labour Migration has trained over 58,00 citizens in foreign languages and professions to prepare for work abroad. The remittances of labour migrants to their home country account for 17.8 percent of Uzbekistan’s GDP.
