Uzbekistan’s unemployment rate drops to 9.4%

In the period from January-September 2021, the unemployment rate in Uzbekistan fell to 9.4%, this is 1.7% less than in the same period last year- the Ministry of Employment and Labor Relations has reported. Compared to June, the unemployment rate was 0.4% less.

According to the Labor Ministry, those figures came from a social survey conducted in 108 cities and districts across the country. The survey covered 500 mahallas, 5,000 households, and 26,500 citizens. The survey showed that 1.4 million people are in need of employment. Of the total unemployment rate among the economically active layer of the population (4.3 million people, 9.4%), the unemployment rate among 16–30-year-olds was 14.9%, while among women - 12.8%.

For the nine months of 2021, the labor force was 19.3 million, which is 1.1% or 201.4 thousand people more than in January-September last year. Of this number, 6.1 million people are officially employed, an increase of 7.9% or 450.5 thousand compared to the same period in 2020. Unofficially employed 5.9 million workers, which is 4.1%, or 254 thousand people less than last year.

In January-September 842 thousand citizens applied to regional (city) centers of employment assistance, 302 thousand of them got a job, the annual program was implemented by 107.4%.

In total 338.2 thousand new jobs were created in nine months of the year, the forecast was exceeded by 24%. Through the registration of individual entrepreneurs, 91.5 thousand more people were employed.