Uzbekistan pushes labor migration deals with Northern Europe and the U.S.

The issue was discussed at a January 15 meeting chaired by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on the performance of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Uzbekistan’s diplomatic missions. The president identified access to better-paid jobs overseas as a priority task for the diplomatic corps.

According to the president, whereas Uzbek citizens previously worked mainly in two or three countries, they are now employed in more than 30 countries under organized labor migration schemes. As part of this shift, companies from Germany, Japan, and South Korea have launched training programs in Uzbekistan tailored to their demand for skilled workers.

In one notable example, a Japanese company has initiated a project to recruit up to 10,000 Uzbek specialists in construction, driving, and the hotel and restaurant sector. Uzbekistan has also established a system for sending seasonal workers to the United Kingdom.

At the same time, the president criticized a lack of initiative by some ambassadors in expanding labor migration cooperation. The work carried out by Uzbekistan’s ambassadors to Austria, France, Spain, Italy, the Czech Republic, and Saudi Arabia – all countries with significant demand for foreign labor – was described as unsatisfactory.

Analytical data indicate strong demand in Northern Europe, with an estimated need for 300,000 workers in Sweden, Denmark, and Norway. Norwegian employers have expressed readiness this year to train 3,000 Uzbek workers themselves and issue certificates that meet European standards. Sweden, meanwhile, has offered to provide grants to train social workers and employ 500 of them within the current year.

Officials were instructed to prioritize negotiations with Sweden, Denmark, and Norway to facilitate the placement of Uzbek citizens in high-income jobs. More broadly, in cooperation with Uzbekistan’s ambassadors to Sweden and Latvia, a comprehensive program on external labor migration with Northern European countries is to be developed.

Attention was also drawn to recent changes in U.S. policy. In 2025, the United States simplified procedures for issuing special visas to agricultural workers. In this context, Uzbekistan’s ambassador to the United States was instructed to begin negotiations on adding Uzbekistan to the list of countries eligible to send seasonal workers to the U.S.

The president also stressed that regional governors must establish direct partnerships with regions in developed countries that accept foreign labor. Going forward, ambassadors will be personally responsible for identifying high-income job opportunities abroad and for organizing training programs in relevant professions and languages for prospective migrants.

The importance of concluding intergovernmental and interagency agreements on labor migration with Japan, Sweden, Norway, Bulgaria, Austria, Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Greece, and Oman was also underscored.