Uzbekistan Baby Boomer – Pros or Cons?
In 2020, more than 800,000 children were born in Uzbekistan, an increase of nearly 25% over 2010. In 2021, 786,770 people were born, 237076 deaths, and the population naturally grew by 549694 people. According to UNICEF, 33.5 per cent of Uzbekistan's total population is under the age of 30.
Due to the high birth rate in recent years, the number of laborers in the country has reached an all-time high. Experts estimate that the birth rate will continue to rise. The working-age population is expected to reach 27 million by 2046.
As the working-age population grows, so will the pressures on the labour market, along with rising unemployment, especially among young people. As of 1 April, Uzbekistan had an unemployed population of 1.4 million. The unemployment rate for young people aged 16-30 is 14.9 per cent and for women is 12.8 per cent. From January to March 2022, the number of labor resources in the country reached 19.5 million (+0.8%).
Half of Uzbekistan's population lives in rural areas, whose main source of income is farming, and there is a limited demand for labour. But low levels of education have an impact on employment in cities, so many young people are forced to go abroad to earn money.
What is regulating the population growth dynamics of Uzbekistan?
The relationship between a growing population and the creation of new jobs has been discussed at different levels. However, to adequately address the problem, a set of measures needs to be developed to ensure the employment of the population, to calculate and forecast the gender, age structure and employment of the population, and to monitor the implementation of these measures on an ongoing basis.
In general, to study demographic dynamics, it is necessary to determine what is regulating population dynamics. In order to analyze the relationship between the population process and the potential of the labor force, the gender structure of the population needs to be considered first.
There are more boys than girls in newborns in Uzbekistan. In addition to gender structure, the age structure of the population is also an important factor in the formation of labor potential. In general, countries with a heavier burden on children and the elderly population have less labour potential. In Uzbekistan's age structure, there are quite a few young people under 15 and under 20.
The age structure that influences the formation of the country's labour market is characterized by a high proportion of the population under the age of 30.
The gender structure of the labour force is predominantly male, linked to ethnic characteristics and the serious and long-term effects of parenthood on a woman's career (even after she returns to full-time employment). At the same time, even before childbearing, women's careers may not be as successful as men's. And, on average, women who want to have more children pay less attention to career success than women who have no children or fewer children.
There is no doubt that children are the flowers of life, but...
Driving on the streets of Mahara, children can often be seen running around the road. This situation clearly shows that parents are neglecting their children. So why do newborns have a grand welcome ceremony when they arrive home, sometimes on a scale comparable to a wedding.
An Uzbekistan family usually has three or four children. Most of the time, children "live" on the street without adult supervision. In this regard, it is quality, not quantity, that is worth thinking about. Families should take a rational approach to procreation. Both spouses should consider their financial situation, the opportunity to receive help from the elders, and the age of the older children. In the case of stable family economic conditions, the long interval between births and the small number of children "illustrate the important role of the birth plan". Finally, it is responsibility, not the urgent need of parents for their children.
The root of the problem is the low level of education
Low levels of education have an impact on employment in cities, so many young people are forced to go abroad to earn money. However, a range of government initiatives, such as the proclamation of 2021 as the Year of Support for Youth and Public Health Promotion, and youth policy reforms, have focused on increasing educational opportunities at all levels, funding and supporting entrepreneurship, and providing subsidies for young farmers, with particular attention to improving digital capacity and guaranteeing women's employment.
This has given rise to a chain of other problems — improving school logistics, especially in rural areas, combating corruption in educational institutions, reducing economic pressure on families and students, and improving the professionalism of school staff.
What does baby boom cause?
- The school is overcrowded. According to The Ministry of Education standards, there are 25 children in a class, but now it is generally 37, sometimes as many as 40. Quality education still needs to be worked on. At the same time, the issue of sex education for children, starting in school, should not be overlooked.
It is clear that the main cause of poverty and migration is the explosive population growth.
- Lack of systems to control population growth, as well as coherent population policies.
- Ecological problems caused by population problems. As a global problem, the magnitude of the population problem is due to its ecological background: the current global population exceeds the limit of the population that the earth can withstand.
Population density and growth exceed agricultural productivity and technology, unable to meet growing needs for survival and restructuring into a more intensive economic system. Specific to Uzbekistan: severe water shortages in various regions. What was once a "green" ecology has gradually become a thing of the past.
Source: Nuz News Network
Author: Guzer Kurtwillieva
Compile: Vika
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