In the coming decade, the main obstacle for Uzbekistan’s economic development will be the excess in manpower, the economy minister Botir Khodjaev said speaking at a conference devoted to Uzbekistan's Development Strategy in Tashkent Monday.
"We believe that in the coming decade our main problem will be the extremely high ratio of working age population, which is over 60% to the total population. Therefore, all the measures that are being taken within the development strategy [for 2017-2021], are above all aimed at ensuring not only high economic growth rates, but also the creation of jobs," Khojayev added.
Today we are in a situation, he added, where “the jobs creating rate lags behind the economic development” which is due to the previous projects, which took as priority the modernization and diversification of industries.
The minister believes that the period of reforms in Uzbekistan will be accompanied by certain inconveniences.
"Unfortunately, there were times when many things remained on paper, which was due to lack of connectivity between local authorities and the central government," he underscored.
Everything has changed, according to Khodjaev, due to frequent trips of the head of state to the provinces.
"The President visits one province every two weeks, and these meetings, attended by government members and officials of ministries, is a tool that pushes the implementation of the strategy. These trips add dynamism and efficiency, and keep executives in a certain strain," the economy minister said.
