Reading the articles on Fergana.ru on the population growth and Uzbek migrant numbers, I started gathering information on migration issues relevant to Uzbekistan.
Here below, I would like to focus specifically on the migration issues related to the latest trend in Uzbekistan. Fergana.ru reported that by the end of 2007, the Uzbek population number will reach 27 million people, and by 2020(in 13 years) it will amount to 40 million. In this sense, it is important to note how is the Uzbek government going to deal with unemployment issues in the republic. 
Despite the fact that the national economy had, according to the Uzbek State Statistical Committee, a growth of 9,2 per cent in the first quarter of 2007, it will continue to remain incapable of dealing with such a huge inflow of working force into the local labour market, because no major economic reforms and measures have been taken to tackle the problem. What we can observe today in Uzbekistan, in the matters of population growth, is the result of the baby boom of the beginning of 1980s. The current figures imply that emigration trends in this country will steadily grow in the forthcoming years. Currently according to the official figures it consists 500-800 thousand emigrants a year.
These figures also show that the number of guestworkers in the countries of traditional immigration of Uzbek migrants will grow substantially. Undoubtedly, among the target countries affected by the Uzbek migrant workers' inflow will be, first of all due to the geographical proximity, target country image, and legal regulations, the Russian Federation and neighbouring Kazakhstan, both going through an economic boom and in a high demand of labour force. Partially, embassies of other CIS countries, South Korea, the UAE, the USA and that of European countries will soon start to experience problems in dealing with an increasing number of visa applicants in Uzbekistan. Nevertheless, the focus here is on Russia as a target country, for it has the largest percentage of Uzbek guestworkers.
Experts from Russian School of Economics have already made a prognosis that by the year 2025, the number of Uzbeks working in Russia will grow by 52 times and will reach 5,77 million people. A number of Russian newspapers highlighting this research called their article, quote en-quote, "Uzbeks will occupy Russia by 2025"(link in Russian). In this regard, Deputy Director of a department in the Ministry of Regional Development Maxim Petrov said that the total number of migrants in Russia to that period will reach 18% of the population, which will be critical to deal with, comparing the situation to that of in Germany, where the government cannot resolve the issue of Turkish migrants that constitutes 10 per cent of the population.
Another signifiant aspect of migrant workers from Uzbekistan, which has to be touched upon, is remittances sent from the Russian Federation. In places, where social policy of the Uzbek government has failed to attend to the needs of population, remittances sent by migrants, by large, have remained an important factor. According to RUSSLAVBANK money sent in remittances by Uzbek migrants made up to 18% of the GDP in Uzbekistan, larger in the amount than that of development aid rendered by both, the European Union and the US per annum.This percentage is expected to rise further on. It is yet another extremely vital point to make in regard of the foreign policies of Uzbekistan, and which has to be taken into consideration by other international actors keen on pushing out Russian influence in this Central Asian republic.
It is also to be noted that the Uzbek government has already noticed this tendency and is trying to improve the situation with raising qualified workers, but to a less degree reform the employment policies in the country itself. The youth movement of Uzbekistan, Kamolot, has already taken the initiative and has been widely broadcasting an advertisement on the national TV-channels, of a new program of seasonal training work for students of about 50 higher educational institutions called Bunyodkor-2007. A seasonal work is offered to students in the fields of agriculture and farming, building and construction, rendering services, health complexes, as well as in, so-called, 21st century construction in Uzbekistan, Toshkurgan-Boysun-Kumkurgon rail-road construction works. As is being promised, all the students taking part in these works will be provided with salary and required accomodation, recreational and working conditions. Just like in Soviet times.
In the year 2006, remittances sent by migrants made up to over than 1 billion US dollars in Uzbekistan. One of the other measures the government could have taken in this regard, at least, is simplifying the process of getting exit-visas, which is soaked in corruption of officials of the Interior Ministry.
In conclusion, I would like to add, in the view of the above mentioned facts, that all that hidden hatred and dislike towards Russia and its policies openly portrayed in the Uzbek politics during 1990s will have to be silently calmed upon, whether Uzbek officials like it or not. Because Russian-Uzbek cooperation nowadays has gone far beyond being merely strategical, it has also become a warrant of stabilization in the Uzbek society. The surrent government will agree to every Russian proposal, as long as the threat of social uprise is at bay. And in its turn, it will continue to raise guest-workes.
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