Unemployment among young people is a serious concern not only in developing countries but also in developed ones. According to the International Labour Organization, the unemployment rate among young people aged 15-24 is more than three times higher than that of older adults. ILO experts forecast an increase in global unemployment and social inequality in 2024. The figures suggest that the number of unemployed will increase by another two million, pushing the global unemployment rate to 5.2%. In 2023, the proportion of job seekers in high-income countries was 8.2%, while in low-income countries it was 20.5%. As mentioned earlier, the primary group suffering from unemployment crises continues to be young people (source: UN News).

In such complex conditions, it is clear how urgent it is to increase employment levels among young people in Uzbekistan and ensure their social and economic rights. Every year, an average of 600,000 young people enter the labor market in our republic, and this number is expected to reach one million in the next decade – this is no small matter. Ensuring employment measures, one of the top priorities of youth policy, requires a very serious and thorough approach.

According to information, this year it is necessary to ensure the employment of 925,000 young people based on the “youth balance.” It is imperative to find jobs for 300,000 young graduates from colleges, technical schools, and universities, involve them in modern professions and entrepreneurship, direct at least 40% of loans allocated for the development of family businesses to young people, and create opportunities for thousands of young people to gain a permanent source of income through self-employment. Implementing the “Two Programmers from Each Neighborhood” project in the field of digital technologies is also a priority task today.

It is no secret that a significant portion of unemployed youth live in rural areas. Factors such as the underdeveloped infrastructure and slow industrialization process in rural areas, as well as the lack of sufficient knowledge and skills among the population, including young people, and their inability to compete in the labor market, are the main reasons for this situation. What does this mean? It means that the quality of education in rural areas needs to be rapidly improved.

Another aspect is that, based on the President’s order, 600,500 hectares of land will be allocated to young people in rural areas this year. Young people who want to earn income through farming will not be left to fend for themselves but will be supported through a comprehensive support mechanism. The district mayor will be responsible for allocating land with good water supply. The “Neighborhood Council” will propose how much land to allocate to each young person. Young people who receive land will be trained to grow high-yielding and exportable crops at the “Farmers’ School” of “Agrobank.” Subsidies for purchasing mini-machinery, seeds, and seedlings will be provided from the “Youth Fund” and the Farmers’ Fund. Young farmers will be cooperatively linked with exporters and processors.

If this mechanism is fully implemented in practice, there is no doubt that not hundreds, but thousands of rural young people will be employed.

Farida MAHKAMOVA