In Uzbekistan, despite the existence of quotas and state programs, people with disabilities continue to face serious difficulties in finding employment. This is confirmed by the results of a survey conducted by the Center for the Development of Modern Journalism.
The survey involved 29 participants, the majority of whom are men of working age between 25 and 54 years old. Most respondents reside in Tashkent, Samarkand, and Syrdarya regions, though other areas were also represented. 69% of participants have a Group II disability, nearly one-fifth have Group I, 3.4% have Group III, and 10.3% have not officially registered their disability. Almost half have lived with a disability since birth.
The survey revealed a high level of hidden unemployment: one-third have been searching for work for over a year, nearly half are not working due to health conditions, and more than a third face external barriers such as discrimination, employer rejections, and a lack of accessible vacancies. As a result, only 20.7% are formally employed, 10.3% are informally employed, and 6.9% are self-employed. Remote and informal employment remain the most accessible options, indicating weak integration of people with disabilities into the corporate and state sectors.
Working conditions are far from inclusive: only 6.9% of respondents have fully adapted workplaces, 27.6% have partially adapted ones, and 13.8% have no adaptations at all. Nearly half struggled to answer, reflecting low awareness of their rights. About 48% either did not receive reasonable accommodations or were unable to secure them.
Societal attitudes remain contradictory: 41% rate their work environment as positive, but almost a quarter encounter negativity. Nearly half believe society is unprepared for inclusion, with only about 17% seeing it as ready. Only one-third are confident they receive equal pay, and almost a third do not understand if their salary is fair, highlighting low transparency.
The overall assessment of the employment situation for people with disabilities remains low. Respondents emphasize the need for systemic changes: developing training and retraining programs, genuine enforcement of quotas, workplace adaptations, and strengthened oversight of employers. Without these measures, integration into the labor market remains severely limited.
Recall that the Anti-Corruption Agency is investigating a questionable tender for an IT platform for persons with disabilities.
Source: podrobno.uz