The unemployment rate in Uzbekistan in January-June 2018 amounted to 9.3 percent.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor Relations, in accordance with the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers of December 22, 2017, has been developing this year with a new methodology for balancing labor resources, employment and employment of the population, surveying households on employment issues, as well as determining the number of people in need of employment.

In July-August 2018, the Republican Scientific Center for Employment and Labor Protection under the Ministry of Employment and Labor Relations conducted a large-scale sociological survey in 62 cities and regions of the republic, which covered 310 self-government bodies of citizens, 3,100 households and 16,425 citizens.

According to the results of the survey, the unemployment rate was 9.3 percent of the economically active population, which is 0.4 percentage points lower than in the 1st quarter of this year (9.7%). The highest unemployment rate was recorded in Ferghana (10.0%), Andijan (9.9%), Surkhandarya (9.9%) regions, the lowest - in Tashkent (7.8%). The number of people in need of employment amounted to 1,349.6 thousand people, of which young people (up to 30 years old) make up 63.1 percent, women among the unemployed - 48.7 percent.

It should be borne in mind that the increase in unemployment compared to the same period in 2017 is associated not with a sharp increase in unemployment, but with the improvement of the methodology for accounting for the unemployed population, which made it possible to take into account most fully those who need employment.

The number of labor resources amounted to 18,792.2 thousand people, which is an increase of 100.1 percent compared to the first quarter of 2018. The number of economically active population reached 14 569.5 thousand (99.6%), and the economically inactive population - 4 222.7 thousand people (101.9%).

The number of people employed in sectors of the economy reached 13,219.9 thousand (100.2%). The number of people employed in the official sector of the economy amounted to 5,317.3 thousand people (99.4%), while there is an increase in the numbers of people employed in dekhkan farms (169.4%), entrepreneurs without a legal entity (113.8%), at the same time with a decrease in the indicators of employees in legal entities in economic sectors (98.3%).

Improving the methodology of household surveys made it possible to determine more reliable indicators of people employed in the informal sector - 7,902.6 thousand (59.8% of the total number of employees), of which 1,632.5 thousand were employed in temporary one-time and seasonal jobs, as well as persons who went to work outside the republic - 2 644.1 thousand

In January-June 2018, 345 134 people applied to the labor authorities for employment, of which 119 792 were employed, 213 641 were involved in public works, 8 553 were sent for professional retraining, and unemployment benefits were assigned to 6 065 people.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor Relations continues to conduct regular labor market surveys in order to carry out a comprehensive analysis, a qualitative and objective assessment of the quantity and quality of labor resources, as well as the effectiveness of measures to ensure employment and employment of the population.

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