Unemployment in Tajikistan

The Ministry of Labor, Migration and Employment of the Population oversees the public employment system. The Agency of Labor and Employment of Population provides services through offices in regions, cities and districts. A person generally applies in person at the office responsible for their permanent residence. The national KOR.TJ vacancy database, vacancy fairs, direct contact with employers and published job advertisements provide additional ways to return to work. Registration normally requires that the applicant has no job, no earnings and no other income-generating activity, is able and willing to work, is at least 15 years old and has not reached the statutory pension age. A disability pension is an exception to the pension-age rule. Access can be excluded, among other reasons, when annual income from rent, land, transport or immovable property reaches at least 12 minimum wages, when the applicant provides false information, or when the applicant does not appear within 10 days. Two refusals of suitable work can also end eligibility; for a first-time jobseeker or someone without a profession, two refusals of training or paid work can have the same consequence. Before employment ends, it is useful to collect a passport, work book or equivalent employment record, qualification documents and a certificate showing average wages for the last two months. A person who loses a job because of dismissal, staff reduction, reorganisation or liquidation may first receive severance or protected average wages under labor law. Unemployment benefit begins only after that protected wage period ends. The authority decides on benefit eligibility no later than 11 days after recognizing the person as unemployed. Payment is made once a month after the required re-registration. With at least 18 months of insured employment and compulsory contributions during the previous three years, the benefit is calculated from the average wage of the last six months: 50% in the first month, 40% in the second month and 30% in the third month. The payment cannot fall below the minimum wage. A person with less than 18 months of qualifying employment receives the minimum wage level. The normal maximum is three calendar months in a year. A special period of up to 12 months can apply when the person meets pension-qualification conditions and has no more than one year before reaching pension age. First-time jobseekers, people who have been without work for more than one year, people who have completed state training or retraining, and participants in public works generally do not qualify for this benefit. A local Majlis may add 10% or provide an amount for a dependent under 15 when the local budget has a surplus. Voluntary insurance against loss of employment is also available as a separate protection. Registered unemployed people can obtain free vacancy information, job matching, placement assistance, legal advice and professional consultation. The employment service can refer them to free career guidance, training, retraining or skills upgrading. A training stipend can be paid for up to six months at one calculation indicator per month. Other support includes paid public works, compensation for relocation costs after a state referral, advice for self-employment or a small business, and financial assistance. Concessional credit and other financial aid can support legally recognized self-employment. Vulnerable groups may also access quota jobs. A complaint may be submitted to a higher authority or to a court. Re-registration, attendance at appointments with the agency or an employer and disclosure of temporary or part-time work are ongoing duties. Benefit payments stop when the person starts work, enters referred training with a stipend, remains absent without justification for more than one month, moves to another district or city, reaches the end of the benefit period, provides false information or twice refuses suitable work. The benefit can be suspended for up to three months after unreported temporary or part-time work, a breach of registration requirements or appearing intoxicated. An unjustified failure to attend an employer interview or agency appointment can reduce the payment by 25% for up to one month. Employment can resume through KOR.TJ searches and applications, vacancy fairs, direct applications to companies, press and other advertisements, training or retraining, public works, quota employment, concessional credit or self-employment. Employment abroad can serve as a transition pathway, but it is not a substitute for the domestic registration and benefit system. The official registered stock was 57,800 people in December 2025, an annual increase of 12.5%, with a registered unemployment rate of 2.0%. Women accounted for 27,800 people, or 48.2%. In March 2026, the registered stock was 53,200, women accounted for 26,100 people, or 49.1%, and the registered rate was 1.8%. During the first half of 2026, 80,627 people approached employment services, 63,246 registered as jobseekers and 37,576 received unemployed status; 40,644 people were placed into permanent work. These are different measures and should not be added together as if they represented one group. The figures come from an administrative register. ILO metadata indicates that only about 13% to 15% of jobseekers use the state employment agency, and the register is not updated regularly. The official registered unemployment rate therefore does not equal total unemployment in Tajikistan. In 2025, authorities reported 15,072 vacancies, 6,632 registered unemployed people in paid public works, 2,168 financial-aid cases worth 8.8575 million TJS and 89,398 participants in short courses or competence validation. In the first half of 2026, reported results included 25,534 placements through vacancies, 4,825 quota placements, 5,265 vacancy fairs, 3,764 training graduates and 1,256 self-employment cases supported through concessional credit. In March 2025, 98.0% of registered unemployed people had no vocational training or had lost skills after a long work break, while 55.6% had lower or incomplete secondary education. Training and requalification therefore form a significant part of the public re-entry pathway.