Tashkent, Uzbekistan – Podrobno.uz. In the first quarter of 2026, Uzbekistan's labor market experienced relative growth. According to the Central Bank, the number of vacancies, job seekers, wage levels, and remittance volumes increased, while unemployment remained relatively low.

Demand for labor continued to rise in Q1. In March, the number of vacancies was 9.8% higher than in the same period last year. The highest demand for workers was observed in services, retail trade, catering, and industry.

Job seeker activity also increased. The number of posted resumes grew by 31.5%, reaching 636,000.

Employment growth was primarily driven by the private sector. By the end of 2025, the number of employed in this sector increased by 5.2%, and the unemployment rate stood at 4.8%.

Nominal wages rose by 17.4%, while real wages (adjusted for inflation) increased by 9.5%.

Cross-border remittances to Uzbekistan in Q1 reached $3.8 billion, up 13% year-on-year.

However, the share of remittances from Russia decreased from 77.6% to 72.4%. Experts cite several reasons: the increase in patent costs for labor migrants since the beginning of the year, the weakening of the Russian ruble in March, and the expansion of labor migration geography.

At the same time, transactions from other countries increased. The share of Kazakhstan and South Korea each rose to 4.1%, while European countries accounted for 3.3%. Other countries made up 16.2% of all inflows.

Earlier, it was reported that from September 1, wages for public sector employees and student stipends in Uzbekistan will increase by 7%, and the minimum wage will be set at 1,360,000 soums per month.

Source: podrobno.uz