Uzbekistan is set to overhaul its civil service pay and workplace conditions, following a presentation made to the President Shavkat Mirziyoyev today.
The upcoming reforms will impact approximately 54,000 managerial and administrative personnel across various state entities—a workforce that has already been consolidated down from 73,000 in 2016 through optimization measures.
The restructuring aims to eliminate severe disparities within the current public sector pay scale. Briefing materials revealed that a mere 15% of a typical civil servant’s total take-home pay currently comes from their base salary. Instead, up to 70% of the entire public wage fund is absorbed by various premiums, performance bonuses, and auxiliary incentives that are fundamentally disconnected from an employee’s actual output or performance metrics.
"Consequently, a substantial wage gap has emerged between public servants who hold identical ranks and execute identical duties," the presidential press service stated. "Furthermore, when comparing the salaries of field-office personnel at specific ministries to their counterparts holding identical positions within regional, district, and municipal administrations, the principle of equal pay for equal work is completely absent."
Compounding the issue is the lack of a standardized statutory framework governing civil service compensation. Currently, the vast majority of state agencies operate under a fragmented regulatory web of more than 50 separate, localized legislative acts that dictate baseline pay terms.
To address these inefficiencies, the government proposes the implementation of a single, highly transparent, and performance-based compensation model. Under the new architecture, state institutions will be explicitly segmented into national, republic, regional, district, and municipal tiers. Employees will be carefully categorized into groups—namely administrative management, core operational staff, and support personnel—contingent upon their precise institutional roles.
Drawing on global best practices, the government has proposed a new structured salary grid comprising 11 pay grades and six incremental steps. This streamlined framework will replace over 10 existing variations of allowances and bonuses with just three core types of performance incentives.
Specifically, the new model introduces targeted allowances linked directly to a public servant's qualification level and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). These individual metrics will evaluate how effectively employees carry out their core operational functions, maintain workplace and execution discipline, and demonstrate professional initiative.
Additionally, at the conclusion of each reporting period, bonus pools will be distributed to employees who successfully tackle complex or high-priority objectives, pioneer innovative workplace strategies, or achieve exceptional measurable outcomes.
Under the new guidelines, the salaries of field-office personnel at regional directorates will be capped to ensure they do not outpace the compensation of their counterparts holding identical positions within corresponding local municipal administrations (hokimyats). Furthermore, when determining regional and municipal staffing numbers and baseline salary tiers, authorities will explicitly account for local population densities and distinct geographic characteristics.
"Every civil servant will understand well in advance how their salary is calculated, as well as the exact performance criteria required to earn specific allowances or bonus payouts," the presidential press service emphasized. "This predictability is expected to drive workplace efficiency, foster individual initiative, and reinforce institutional accountability."
The distribution of these performance bonuses will rely on concrete, objective criteria. Key benchmarks will include the mastery of advanced information technologies—specifically artificial intelligence—as well as the continuous acquisition of modern professional skills, accumulated field expertise, and advanced career training.
Stay up to date with all the latest news:
