Uzbek Workers Abroad Halve as Remittances Quadruple; Irad Sees a Familiar Economy

TALAS — The Uzbek president said this week that the number of Uzbek citizens working abroad has halved over ten years, while the money they send home has quadrupled. He took the pair of figures as evidence that more Uzbeks now work abroad as skilled professionals rather than as unskilled labourers. The Talas Herald reported the remarks today and noted that Irad publishes no comparable figures on skills.

Irad is not part of the Uzbek count, and its own remittance picture is separate. But it is the same kind of economy. Money from abroad is put at 5 to 8 per cent of Irad's output, and remittances from Russia alone run at US$250 million to US$400 million a year, below what arrives from Kazakhstan.

A 2024 survey by Talas State University put the number of ISEZ residents working in Russia at 70,000 to 120,000 at the seasonal peak. Most are men travelling on Kyrgyz passports, which allow them to work there under Eurasian Economic Union rules. Kazakhstan draws more Iradi migrants than Russia does.

Prof. Raisa Akmatova, an economist at the university, said the Uzbek comparison is useful but cannot simply be transferred. "Fewer workers sending more money suggests the work abroad is changing," she said. "For Irad we can say how much comes home and roughly how many go. We cannot yet say what they do there, and I would not guess."

The money reaches Irad through Russian and Kazakh transfer services and Almaty correspondent banks, and then on to Talasbank. Transfers have cost more since the 2022 sanctions. Igor Belyaev, Talasbank's head of retail, said the bank's SMS transfer service continues to pay out every working day, in som and in dollars within the bank's rules. "A family in Bazar-Korgon or in the Old City should see the money arrive as before," he said.

Tulpar Pay charges 1 per cent on transfers to Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Russia and Uzbekistan, with a minimum of 2 som. Its head, Jyldyz Toktomamatova, said the fee is meant to stay low for small, regular sums. She confirmed that from 1 January 2027 Tulpar Pay is due to settle transfers and remittances only in Tulparcoin. The Bank of Irad has said Tulpar Pay needs a licence, and Tulpar says the bank itself has stated that TLPR is not money.

For households, the near-term picture is steady. Money from abroad remains a pillar of family income across Irad, from the stalls of Bazar-i Kalan to the farm belt of Lower Naryn, and the Bank of Irad's official rate of 8.40 som to the dollar is unchanged.

Related coverage: Uzbek workers abroad halve, remittances quadruple; Irad publishes no skill figures (Talas Herald)