Nearly 80,000 people in Uzbekistan are receiving unemployment benefits, Sobir Khayitmurodov, chief of a department at the Employment Ministry told journalists in Tashkent Wednesday.
They have been referred to vocational training, during which their tuition costs are covered and they receive a stipend, he said.
To qualify, a person must have paid social tax for 1 year and 8 months over the past five years, Khayitmurodov said. Those who cannot be placed in a job matching their qualifications are recognized as unemployed by a commission, after which the benefit is assigned.
The maximum benefit is three times the minimum wage, or 4.08 million soums, and is paid for up to three months.
“We are now proposing an amendment to the law that would extend the payment period to four months,” Khayitmurodov said. The change could be adopted if the bill passes parliament and is approved, he said.
It was reported earlier that the poverty rate fell from 5.8% to 3.6% in January-September 2026. According to Employment Ministry analysis, 824,000 people were placed in permanent jobs over the nine months, about 4.14 million were helped to raise their incomes, and informal employment was formalized for 980,000.
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