Uzbekistan is a country in Central Asia, surrounded by five landlocked countries (Kazakhstan; Kyrgyzstan; Tajikistan; Afghanistan; and Turkmenistan). For the past 200 years, the country was a part of the Russian Empire, and then of the Soviet Union, before emerging as an independent state when Soviet rule ended in 1991. Uzbekistan has a diverse cultural heritage due to its history and strategic location at the heart of the ancient Silk Road trade route connecting China with the Middle East and Rome. Its constitutional official language is Uzbek, but Russian has widespread use as a language of governance. Uzbeks constitute 81% of the population, followed by Russians at 5.4%). Muslims are a majority of the population who also identify as non-denominational Muslims.
Employment contracts made for an indefinite period are considered permanent contracts in Uzbekistan. If the employment contract does not specify its validity period, the employment contract is considered to be concluded for an indefinite period. If an employment contract is for a fixed period, but the reason for the fixed period is not sufficient, the contract will be considered for an indefinite period. An employment contract concluded for an indefinite period cannot be revised without the consent of the employee for a specific period, as well as for the time of performance of specific work. Such contracts are made for work that is permanent in nature. Employees have the right to paid leave, protection against unfair dismissal, and social security. It is unlawful to conclude fixed-term contracts to avoid granting employees benefits.
Employment contracts must be concluded in writing in Uzbekistan, either on paper or electronically. They are made in 2 copies and signed by each party. An employment contract in electronic form is formalized in the interdepartmental software and hardware complex "Single National Labor System." The form of the employment contract is developed taking into account the model contract approved by the government. They must contain the following information:
Employee details – full name, identity documents, address of residence, personal identification number, individual pension savings account number, tax identification number, bank details, etc.
Workplace
Employee's work duties – specialty, qualification, position
Starting day of work
Validity period, if made for a fixed term
Amount of wages and other conditions of work
Guarantees and compensation for work under conditions differing from normal
The level of labor rights and guarantees of the employees established by laws and other regulatory documents cannot be reduced.
Temporary employment contracts can be concluded for specific jobs or to replace employees who are absent due to illness or vacation, etc. Permanent employees can request to be placed in temporary contracts.
Employers can also use outstaffing agencies to hire temporary employees. Employers conclude contracts with an agency to perform particular tasks. Hired temporary employees are considered the employees of the outstaffing agency, but they perform their work duties under the management and control of the legal entity to which they are sent by the employer, in the interests of that legal entity. The payment of wages for the labor of employees is carried out by the employer.
In Uzbekistan, an employer may require a probationary period. If the existence of a probationary period is not explicitly stated in the employment contract, the employee is considered accepted immediately. A probationary period may not be included in the employment contract for certain kinds of employees.
The probationary period may not exceed 3 months for regular employees. Heads of organizations, deputies, and chiefs can have a probationary period lasting up to 6 months. Either the employer or the employee may terminate the employment contract during the probationary period with 3 days’ written notice.
The normal working time for employees must not exceed 40 hours per week. In a 6-day working week, the duration of daily work must not exceed 7 hours, and in a 5-day working week, it must not exceed 8 hours. Reduced working hours of 36 hours per week are set for employees under the age of 18, employees in jobs with unfavorable working conditions, and employees in jobs with high levels of mental stress. Employees under the age of 16 may only work 24 hours per week. Employees must be given a break of at least 12 hours between 2 working days.
The type of work week and working time regime are determined by the rules of the internal labor procedure in the enterprise, with other local normative documents, and in the absence of these documents, according to the agreement between the employee and the employer. On the eve of holidays, the daily work duration is reduced by at least 1 hour for all employees.
Employees are granted at least 21 calendar days' paid annual leave after six months of employment for the first year. Employees under 18 years of age and those with group I and II disabilities receive at least 30 days' annual leave. Employees are paid their average salary during their annual leave.
It is allowed to postpone annual leave in case of temporary incapacity, maternity leave, or public duties. It is also allowed to divide the vacation into parts based on a written application. In this case, a part of the vacation should not be less than 14 calendar days.
In case of termination of employment, employees are entitled to use their remaining annual leave till the last day of their service. When the employment contract is terminated due to the employee's culpable actions, it is not allowed to use the annual leave.
From January 1, 2026, all leave types, including annual leave, must be registered by employers via the labor portal.
There is no fixed amount of sick leave for employees. It is not allowed to terminate the employment contract at the initiative of the employer during the period of the employee's temporary incapacity for work.
Temporary incapacity for work allowance is paid when sick, disabled at work (or injured in any other way), taking care of a sick family member, quarantine is declared, treatment is done at a sanatorium-resort, and prostheses are made. The minimum amount of the temporary incapacity for work allowance is the minimum amount of wages established by the law and should not exceed the amount of the salary from which the allowance is calculated. The benefit amount for temporary incapacity allowance is determined by the kind of employee, the kind of illness, and the length of service of the employee. Allowance for temporary incapacity for work is granted from the first day of loss of working capacity until it is restored or until the disability is determined by the Medical and Labor Examination Commission (TMEK), even if the employment contract with the employee is terminated during this period. In cases where the employee's days of incapacity for work coincide with the annual leave period, the salary is paid for all the sick days.
Since July 1, 2026, temporary-disability (sick-leave) benefits are paid through the State Fund for Social Insurance. Eligibility requires at least 6 months of insurance service; benefits run for the period stated in the medical certificate, up to 182 calendar days per calendar year. The employer pays the first 5 days, and the State Fund for Social Insurance pays from the 6th day. Benefits are paid as follows:
Employees with an insurance period of up to 96 months – 60% of their average wage
Employees with more than 96 months of insurance – 80% of their average wages
For insured employees with disabilities of groups I and II or those with 4 or more dependent children under the age of 18 or with at least 1 child with disability, the benefit is increased by another 20%.
Women employees are granted prenatal and maternity leave of 70 calendar days before giving birth and 56 calendar days after giving birth (70 calendar days in case of difficult childbirth or multiple births). Pregnant women cannot be employed in night work, overtime work, or weekend work.
It is prohibited to refuse to hire women and reduce their wages because they are pregnant or have a child. It is not allowed to terminate the employment contract concluded with pregnant women and women with children under the age of three at the initiative of the employer, except for the cases of complete liquidation of the enterprise. In case of an employee's death in childbirth, the father of the child becomes entitled to the remaining maternity leave and benefits.
From January 1, 2026, maternity benefits are paid by the Social Protection Agency, as follows:
75% of the average salary to women who have 10 to 24 months of service
85% of the average salary to women who have 25 to 60 months of service
100% of the average salary to women who have more than 60 months of service
Maternity leave must be registered via the my.mehnat portal.
In Uzbekistan, employees are entitled to something called social leave. The right to social leave is entitled to employees who are pregnant and giving childbirth, are giving childcare, are on study leave, or need a creative holiday. The granting of social leave to employees does not depend on the amount of time the employee has worked for an employer.
An employer must notify an employee of their termination in writing with the following advance notice depending on the reason for termination:
Changes in technology, production, and labor organization, the reduction of the volume of work that led to a change in the number of employees or the nature of work, or in connection with the termination of the enterprise, as well as the employee reaching retirement age – 2 months
Employee's insufficient qualifications or becoming unfit for the work due to health condition – 2 weeks
Employee's guilty behavior – 3 days
Employees must provide 14 days written notice to terminate the employment contract on their initiative.
Employees and employers can agree to replace notice with monetary compensation, even in case of an employee's guilty behavior. During the notice period, employees are entitled to at least one day per week of absence from work with pay to look for another job.
In Uzbekistan, once an employment contract is terminated the employer must compensate the employee for all remuneration due, including compensation for unused basic and additional holidays. If the employee does not work on the date of termination, the employer has 3 days to deliver the remuneration to the employee.
In addition to this, an employee is entitled to severance pay based on the circumstances of the termination. If the termination was through no fault of the employee, then severance pay is due. The amount of severance pay is calculated based on the time of service.
For employees who worked up to 3 years, the severance pay is 50% of the monthly wage
For employees who worked between 3 to 5 years, the severance pay is 75% of the monthly wage
For the employees who worked between 5 to 10 years, the severance pay is 100% of the monthly wage
For employees who worked between 10 to 15 years, the severance pay is 150% of the monthly wage
For employees who worked more than 15 years, the severance pay is 2 months’ wage
Collective agreements, local acts, and employment contracts may establish additional severance benefits.
