Today, the problem of poverty cannot be effectively solved without improving the labor market policy and wage policy in Uzbekistan. Recognizing the need to develop targeted social assistance programs for the population, it should be noted that in the current context, these programs are largely aimed at reducing the high level of poverty in the majority of the working-age population. If the policy set by the state is aimed at increasing the employment of the population, creating new jobs and forming the organizational and financial basis for maintaining the existing ones, then a real reduction in the level of poverty will be achieved. Poverty has been a “closed topic” in Uzbekistan for many years. In the address of the head of our state to the Oliy Majlis on January 24, 2020, he openly addressed this issue and for the first time in the country’s history, reducing poverty was set as a priority task. In accordance with the decree and decision of the head of our state dated February 18, 2020, the Ministry of Neighborhood and Family Support was established in order to support families in need of social protection and low-income families, and to effectively involve the population in business activities. At the local, district (city), regional and republican level, positions responsible for the development of entrepreneurship and poverty reduction were introduced and a vertical system was created. As a result of the President’s consistent policy, the position of Deputy Prime Minister for Finance, Economy and Poverty Reduction was introduced in the government, along with the establishment of the Ministry of Economic Development and Poverty Reduction. special working groups were established in the government. On February 27, 2020, under the chairmanship of the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, a video selector meeting dedicated to measures to reduce poverty through entrepreneurship was held. “According to preliminary estimates, 12-15% or 4-5 million people are poor. So, their daily income does not exceed 10-13 thousand soums. Or the family may have a car and a pet, but if a person is seriously ill, at least 70 percent of the family’s income goes to his treatment. Can such a family be called a self-sufficient family? “As the president, I am tormented every day by the questions of what is happening in the life of our people, food, treatment, education, and clothes for their children. At the meeting, the head of state added: “Poverty reduction does not mean an increase in monthly or pension benefits, public loans. For this, first of all, it is necessary to establish vocational training, financial literacy, entrepreneurship, infrastructure, education and upbringing of children, quality treatment, provision of targeted benefits, – said the President. At the moment, there are about 1.4 million officially unemployed women and young people in Uzbekistan. The unemployment rate among women is 13%, among young people is 15%. This indicator is especially high in Fergana, Samarkand, Andijan, Kashkadarya and Tashkent regions. At the same time, taking into account the need for 104,000 specialists in construction, 71,000 in the utility sector, 68,000 in the service sector, and 46,000 in the light industry, it is necessary to develop measures in these fields and prepare the unemployed population for specialization. The main direction of significant reduction of poverty in Uzbekistan is President Sh. Mirziyoyev: “We should give our people a hook, not a fish.” i.e. on the implementation of the creation of new jobs by providing them with vocational training, entrepreneurship training and helping them start work in the interests of the population in need of social protection, who are not protected by the social security policy in the labor market it is necessary to develop a program of comprehensive measures.
As of June 2023, there are 1.3 million low-income families in Uzbekistan, and the poverty rate is 14.1 percent. This is stated in the report of the Ministry of Employment and Poverty Reduction.
The regions with the highest level of poverty are Karakalpakstan (19.7%), Syrdarya (19.5%) and Khorezm (19.1%).
The lowest level of poverty was recorded in Tashkent city (8.5 percent) and Navoi region (9.2 percent).
According to the department, the country’s poverty rate will decrease to 12 percent by the end of the year.