Uzbeks will now be compensated for their expenses in traveling abroad to work, with the federal budget allocating $7.9 million for that purpose in 2024. The country’s foreign embassies and ministries are also in the process of setting up round-the-clock call centers to help solve problems and address issues faced by Uzbeks abroad. Those wishing to work outside the country can now sign up to the ‘Online Mahalla’ platform, where recruiters in several countries can approach potential candidates from Uzbekistan.
Since 2022 Uzbekistan’s Agency for External Labor Migration has sent 70,000 Uzbek migrants to work in other countries. European employers are increasingly willing to hire people from Central Asia; recently Germany has created 5,000 jobs for Uzbeks, including as hotel staff, farm hands, electricians and mechanics. Decent salaries of $2,500-2,800 per month are being offered to citizens of Uzbekistan who have professional qualifications and speak conversational German.
The Agency for External Labor Migration is organizing foreign language classes for would-be migrants. The state will also reimburse them part of the costs of obtaining a work visa, travel tickets, language assessment and certain professional qualifications.
In addition, Uzbek nationals who start a business in Uzbekistan after returning from abroad will be given preferential loans — along with free medical check-ups for them and their family members. Agencies known as Inson centers will provide social assistance to the children of migrant workers, while Uzbek employers who employ returning migrants will receive a $40 monthly subsidy per employee from the Employment Support Fund.
