Lessons from Uzbekistan

Protecting Labour Migrants During the COVID-19 Crisis:

Lessons from Uzbekistan

More than 2 million Uzbek citizens are labour migrants working in countries including Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkey, and South Korea. The impact of COVID-19 on the global economy saw many of these individuals lose their jobs. The restrictions on international travel introduced as part of lockdown measures left tens of thousands of Uzbek workers stranded. These were some of the unique challenges that faced the Uzbek economy beginning in March of this year. As part of an unprecedented crisis response plan, the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations initiated efforts to provide assistance to labour migrants through job placement support, training, and safe and orderly repatriation to Uzbekistan. Shortly after the first cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Uzbekistan in early March, the government-established an Anti-Crisis Commission. President Mirziyoyev also decreed the creation of an Anti-Crisis Fund with a total value of UZS 10 trillion (USD 1.1 billion). He declared that “ensuring macroeconomic stability” to be the “main task of the government in order to compensate the estimated losses in the economy”— a goal that required significant interventions from the labour ministry.

2020-10-24

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