Number of job seekers in Uzbekistan increases by 31.5 percent in one year

In the first quarter of 2026, the number of active resumes in Uzbekistan increased by 31.5 percent, reaching 636,000. According to the Central Bank's analysis, the rapid growth in the number of job seekers is intensifying competition in the labor market.

The report notes that employment in the economy has been expanding steadily in recent quarters. The majority of new jobs were created in the service sector.

Employment has increased significantly, particularly in finance and insurance, professional and technical services, as well as administrative and support services. The Central Bank attributes this to the development of market infrastructure and an increase in demand for new types of economic activity.

Conversely, employment in agriculture has declined. The analysis links this to the migration of labor resources to other sectors.

Employment in the industrial and trade sectors has also grown steadily. The private sector accounted for the largest share of this process. While the contribution of state-owned enterprises remained positive, its impact was relatively limited.

The number of job vacancies announced in January 2026 decreased by 4.5 percent year-on-year, and by 6.5 percent in February. In March, activity in the labor market recovered, with 15,400 vacancies posted. This is 9.8 percent more than in the same period of 2025.

The highest demand for labor remained in the service and retail sectors. Although demand in construction depends on seasonal factors, the need for workers in this sector also increased in the first quarter.

The labor market also became more active in the catering and manufacturing sectors. Nevertheless, the Central Bank noted that the supply of labor is growing much faster than demand.

At the end of 2025, the unemployment rate in Uzbekistan was 4.8 percent. Surveys conducted in the first quarter of 2026 show that enterprises' expectations regarding hiring remain positive.

The share of companies expecting an increase in the number of employees in the service and trade sectors has grown. In industry, employment expectations remained stable.

In the first three months of the year, the average nominal wage in Uzbekistan increased by 17.4 percent, and the real wage by 9.5 percent. The highest growth was recorded in finance and insurance, transport, logistics and storage, and other service sectors.

Wages in the retail and catering sectors grew at a relatively stable pace.

In the first quarter, the number of Uzbek citizens traveling abroad reached 1.63 million. This is 11.6 percent more than the figure from a year ago.

The number of Uzbeks working in Russia under patents stood at 1.34 million. This figure decreased by 8.8 percent compared to the previous quarter and by 1.8 percent compared to the same period in 2025.

At the same time, the number of official work permits issued in Turkey reached 70,000, an increase of 14 percent over the year. The number of Uzbek citizens in South Korea totaled 99,600.