DIVERSIFICATION OF THE DIRECTIONS OF LABOR MIGRATION OF CITIZENS OF THE REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN: CHALLENGES, PROSPECTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Аннотация

The article analyzes current trends in labor migration of Uzbek citizens and examines key areas of employment, including Russia, Kazakhstan, the European Union, the United States, South Korea, and Japan. It also examines the main problems faced by Uzbek migrants abroad, including difficulties in obtaining work visas, insufficient professional training, and lack of legal protection. Keywords: labor migration, the Republic of Uzbekistan, visa policy, diversification of directions, international cooperation, migration processes, economics, professional training. Labor migration is an important component of the economy of the Republic of Uzbekistan. According to official data, at the beginning of 2025, about 1.35 million Uzbek citizens worked abroad, which is 34% less than in the previous year, when this figure was more than 2 million people. This decline is largely due to geopolitical instability, changes in the migration policies of recipient countries, and internal reforms in Uzbekistan. In recent years, the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan has been actively working to diversify the directions of labor migration, trying to reduce dependence on traditional destinations such as Russia and Kazakhstan, and expand the presence of Uzbek migrants in the countries of the European Union, the United States of America, the Republic of Korea and Japan. This article examines current trends, existing problems, and suggests solutions for further development of migration policy. The main directions of labor migration 1. Russia Russia has traditionally been the main destination for labor migration of Uzbek citizens. However, over the past year, the number of Uzbeks working in Russia has decreased from 1.2 million to 698,000 people. The reasons for this were economic sanctions, the fall of the ruble and the tightening of migration legislation. 2. Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, on the contrary, is showing an increase in the number of Uzbek migrants. At the beginning of 2025, their number increased to 322.7 thousand 94 ACADEMIC RESEARCH IN MODERN SCIENCE International scientific-online conference people, compared with 196.8 thousand in 2024. This is due to more favorable working conditions and geographical proximity. 3. New directions In recent years, Uzbekistan has been actively developing cooperation in the field of labor migration with countries such as Germany, Great Britain, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Israel, Canada, Poland, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. In 2025, it is planned to employ more than 200,000 citizens in 21 economically developed countries. The need to diversify labor migration Dependence on one or two countries makes the Uzbek economy vulnerable to external factors. In particular, the instability of the Russian economy leads to a reduction in remittances from migrants, who play a key role in the well-being of Uzbek families. The diversification of labor migration routes will reduce these risks, ensure more stable working conditions and increase the level of professional training of Uzbek citizens. Jamshid Karimov, Professor of Economics, notes: “The diversification of labor migration directions contributes not only to reducing economic risks, but also to improving the professional level of migrants, which ultimately has a positive impact on the country's economy.” Since 2016, active reforms have begun in the Republic of Uzbekistan in all areas of our citizens' lives, and the sphere of labor emigration has not become an exception. In short, the main initiatives include: 1. Creation of the Agency for External Labor Migration (2017), an organization dedicated to finding jobs abroad and protecting the rights of migrants. 2. Professional training programs – the opening of educational centers for teaching foreign languages and professional skills. 3. Bilateral agreements – signing of agreements with the European Union, South Korea and Japan aimed at simplifying migration procedures. Naturally, these are not all reforms, but, in short, we are talking about the desire and attempt of our government officials to improve the working environment for our citizens abroad. Unfortunately, despite the active reforms, migrants continue to face a number of problems.: • Difficulties in obtaining work visas. In many countries, bureaucratic procedures remain complex and visa quotas are limited. 95 ACADEMIC RESEARCH IN MODERN SCIENCE International scientific-online conference • Low level of professional training. Many Uzbeks do not have sufficient qualifications and knowledge of the language, which limits their opportunities in the international labor market. • Lack of legal protection. In a number of countries, migrants are discriminated against and have limited access to medical and social services. Seeing all these problems, we would like to give a couple of suggestions for solving these problems.: 1. Simplification of visa procedures. It is necessary to conclude agreements on labor migration with key coun