On September 15-16 this year, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Uzbekistan. The Chancellor's program of stay was informative and included high-level talks, the opening of a joint School for Management Training in Samarkand and a meeting with business circles.

Following the visit, agreements were signed covering key areas of bilateral cooperation in the field of animal husbandry and veterinary medicine, migration, sustainable use of water resources, critical minerals, climate change and transport.

Among them, the intergovernmental Agreement on a comprehensive partnership in the field of migration and mobility should be especially highlighted. It is important to note that the document is intended to ensure decent conditions for temporary employment of our citizens in Germany, to expand their opportunities for vocational training based on German standards.

Successful cooperation in this area began back in 2023 as part of Shavkat Mirziyoyev's working visit to Germany. Then, a Declaration on Expanding Cooperation was adopted, providing for the conclusion of an agreement on simplifying migration, facilitating the issuance of work and study visas.

In recent years, Uzbekistan has been actively working with external partners to organize systemic interaction in the field of migration. This policy meets the national interests of the republic.

The country has seen a steady increase in labor resources. In particular, in 2024, compared to 2022, the working-age population increased by more than 774 thousand people, with the total number exceeding 20 million people.

The measures taken in the field of migration in recent years make it possible to build a systemic, reliable mechanism for managing migration processes, demonstrating Tashkent's responsible approach to fulfilling its obligations.

Thus, in order to improve conditions for citizens working abroad, a broad national regulatory framework has been formed, including 14 documents. Since April of this year, in accordance with the Decree of the President of Uzbekistan "On additional measures to improve labor migration processes and support individuals engaged in temporary labor activity abroad", citizens traveling on organized labor migration are paid compensation to cover expenses related to passing a language exam, obtaining a visa and purchasing a ticket.

To effectively coordinate the tasks set in diplomatic and consular offices of Germany, Great Britain, the UAE, Hungary, Latvia, Poland and other countries, the positions of attachés for labor migration issues have been introduced.

In addition, 27 labor agreements were concluded with the CIS countries, Europe and Asia. A Fund for the Support and Protection of the Rights and Interests of Citizens Engaged in Labor Activity Abroad has been created.

At the same time, the government of Uzbekistan pays special attention to the training of professional personnel. Thus, the Berlitz International Linguistic Center operates in the country. Its graduates are given the opportunity to find employment in Germany. Also, the recruiting agency "Novo Agency" is taking steps to attract workers from Uzbekistan to the German labor market.

Tashkent positions itself not only as a source of qualified labor, but, more importantly, acts as a guarantor of the professionalism of workers for the host state.

In turn, Germany is also interested in expanding cooperation in the field of migration with Uzbekistan. According to some estimates, Germany today is experiencing a labor shortage of 2 million people, and by 2035 this figure will already be 7 million. The greatest labor shortage is observed in the field of healthcare, services, information technology and engineering.

Today, Germany already has agreements in the field of labor migration with Georgia, India, Colombia and Morocco. Uzbekistan has become the first country in the Central Asian region with which Germany has concluded a similar agreement. This fact indicates Berlin's high interest in strengthening its strategic partnership with Tashkent.

In general, taking into account the current complementary needs of the two countries, Uzbek-German cooperation in the field of migration can bring mutual benefits. For Uzbekistan, this will mean a significant expansion of the geography of migration flows, improving the qualifications of national labor force. In turn, for Germany, such cooperation will contribute to an increase in labor productivity and the replacement of in-demand vacant niches.

 Kamila Sabirova,

Leading Researcher at ISRS under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan