The flow of labor migrants from Uzbekistan to Russia may continue to decrease, said Alisher Ruziyev, head of the Department of the Agency for External Labor Migration under the Ministry of Employment and Poverty Reduction of Uzbekistan, reports Gazeta.uz.
According to him, the construction industry in Uzbekistan is currently booming, and wages at some sites can compete with those in Russia, RIA Novosi reported early.
"Today, Uzbekistan is experiencing a construction boom, and naturally, our wages have equaled those at some sites in the Russian Federation... Therefore, in this situation, there may be a trend of our citizens not migrating to the Russia," said Alisher Ruziyev.
At some major construction sites in Uzbekistan, workers in construction trades now receive about $500-600 per month, "so going to the Russian Federation for such wages is no longer profitable," he added.
The agency representative also noted that over the past two years, the agency has significantly expanded the geography of employment abroad, particularly due to the demand for labor in Europe.
In early June, the press secretary of the President of Uzbekistan, Sherzod Asadov, told Sevimli TV channel that before 2016, there were between 4 to 6 million labor migrants from Uzbekistan in Russia, but now their number has decreased to 1 million. "This information was also provided by the presidents of Uzbekistan and Russia, but most of our analysts did not pay attention to it," he said.
During his visit to Tashkent in late May 2024, President Vladimir Putin reported that more than 1 million citizens of Uzbekistan live and work in Russia. He assured that the Russian authorities would do everything to ensure decent working conditions and social protection for labor migrants from Uzbekistan.
In May, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev also stated that since the beginning of the year, about 115,000 labor migrants have returned to Uzbekistan, and another 250,000-300,000 citizens are expected to return by the end of the year. He emphasized the importance of their employment and assistance in solving social problems.
In April 2024, the President of Uzbekistan signed a decree to support labor migrants, according to which they will be reimbursed for expenses related to obtaining professional and language certificates, work visas, purchasing tickets, and those who find themselves in difficult situations abroad will be provided with assistance.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
June 17, 2024