Abstract

General Background: Vocational education plays a crucial role in workforce development by equipping graduates with the necessary skills for employment. However, ensuring that vocational training aligns with labor market demands remains a global challenge. Specific Background: In Uzbekistan, ongoing leadership reforms aim to bridge the gap between vocational education and industry needs. Despite these efforts, structural disconnects persist, affecting graduates' employability and professional development. Knowledge Gap: Existing research lacks comprehensive insights into the specific factors that influence the professional skill progression of vocational graduates in Uzbekistan. There is also limited empirical analysis on how labor market structures and educational frameworks interact to shape employment outcomes. Aims: This study analyzes the factors affecting vocational education graduates’ skill development and their transition into the workforce. By employing a systematic analytical approach, the research evaluates the effectiveness of vocational training institutions, labor market readiness, and socio-economic mechanisms that regulate employment. Results: Findings indicate that while vocational education centers successfully develop workforce readiness, their curricula do not sufficiently align with industry needs, limiting employment optimization. Financial constraints, restricted access to skill development programs, and inadequate career counseling were identified as major barriers. Additionally, job availability and entrepreneurial opportunities vary significantly across geographical regions. Novelty: This study integrates statistical data analysis, sociological surveys, and economic modeling to provide a multidimensional perspective on vocational training effectiveness. The use of data triangulation enhances the reliability of findings, offering a nuanced understanding of employment trends, skill shortages, and market-driven educational improvements. Implications: Strengthening educational-industrial collaborations, enhancing career guidance services, and implementing entrepreneurial development programs can significantly improve graduate employability. Policymakers should consider these insights to formulate targeted vocational training reforms that address industry demands and labor market dynamics effectively.

Highlights:

1. Vocational education misalignment with labor market needs.
2. kill gaps, financial barriers, and uneven job opportunities.
3. Strengthen industry collaboration, career counseling, and entrepreneurial programs.

Keywords: graduates of vocational education, professional abilities, employment, working conditions, new jobs.

Introduction

Vocational education functions as a main approach to fulfill market requirements while stabilizing both economic development and social order [1] [2]. Educational results fail to match up with market requirements which produces gaps between professional skills and qualifications [2]. Research finds that these problems require organizations to establish workforce forecasting systems and create performance indicators and flexible training methods [1]. The international labor market needs constant assessments regarding its current trends and development factors [3]. Accession of youth workers continues to constitute an urgent issue which requires direct intervention for market integration according to [2]. To forward human resources and solve youth labor market issues stakeholders should establish new institutional interaction platforms which include employer entities along with educational organizations and job placement centers [4].

Uzbekistan conducts extensive changes in vocational education management to fulfill industry needs while adopting international quality benchmarks. Educational efforts target the development of graduate professional abilities while improving their market competitiveness and work readiness at work [5, 6]. European vocational education standards enactment and labor market forecasting system development represent vital measures to bridge skills gaps while matching available competencies to industry requirements [5]. The Uzbek vocational education system benefits from assessment against Japanese vocational education practices as reported in [6]. Successful vocational education management demands that education joins forces with science and industry as well as implements contemporary financial systems and establishes legal frameworks with quality management systems [7]. The development of youth business activities combined with competitiveness promotion forms critical elements for socio-economic growth since education stands essential for their achievement [8].

Current labor markets experience difficulties between vocational education programs and their ability to fulfill employment requirements. Research shows supply-demand volatility in the marketplace which calls for better management of vocational institutions [9]. Graduate employment proves difficult while certain specialized fields lack adequate specialists [10]. Investigators have developed interaction models which connect educational organizations with employers and students as well as the state authorities [10]. The Russian legal system currently provides support for labor market management together with graduate job placement [11]. The discrepancy between what students learn at school and the needs of the labor market produces deforming effects on the workforce while causing its professional skills to deteriorate [12]. Workforce need forecasting together with performance indicator development and information system construction and flexible training program deployment emerges as proposed solutions [9]. Employer collaborations with educational institutions need improvement because this partnership drives better graduate employment results and supports workforce demands [12].

The population younger than thirty years amounts to 26.8% of Uzbekistan's total demographic as reported in January 2023 statistics [13]. This population structure leads to employment-related difficulties for the labor market with special focus on youth job placements. The main employment issues in Uzbekistan stem from a lack of alignment between educational programs and workplace demand and knowledge gaps among students and their inability to secure job positions related to their specialty areas [13, 14]. The annual number of 300,000 first-time job seekers since returning labor migrants along with new recruits exacerbates these employment challenges [15]. Research shows that fixing the educational system and improving education-employment sector collaboration with the development of youth employment policy measurement instruments represents effective solutions [14], [16]. The country needs these initiatives to boost youth competitiveness together with better labor relations in its expanding population.

LITERATURE ANALYSIS

Based on the socio-economic nature of the development of our country, the issue of managing effective employment of the working population is always relevant and is always in the focus of attention of the government. In particular, the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan several years ago pointed out the importance of the problem in this regard, among other things.".. the creation of new jobs and ensuring employment of the population, especially graduates of secondary and higher educational institutions, ensuring the balance of the labor market and infrastructure development"has been identified as a priority area that is considered important, and in order to achieve such goals, it is necessary "... to create conditions for the full realization of labor and entrepreneurial activity of the working population, improving the quality of work expansion of the system of professional training, retraining and advanced training of workers " is supposed to solve such tasks [3] .

The labor market in Uzbekistan faces challenges in aligning education with employment needs. Abdurakhmanov et al. [17] emphasize the importance of regulating labor migration to optimize economic benefits. Karabaeva [18] highlights the transition to an innovative educational model to improve workforce quality. Abdurakhmanov et al. [19] stress the need for a labor market forecasting system and stronger collaboration between educational institutions and employers to address skill gaps. Fayzieva [20] underscores the significance of human capital development and state support for employment. The research collectively emphasizes the need for special bodies to regulate employment processes [17], ensure international competitiveness of graduates [18], and provide career guidance and psychological support [19]. These efforts aim to align workforce skills with market demands, enhance employment levels, and contribute to Uzbekistan's economic growth.

According to CIS scientists, the essence of the concept of "labor market infrastructure", the classification and interrelation of its functional elements, components, as well as "... the use of optimal assessment methods effectively in the employment service." [7, 55].

Recent reforms in Uzbekistan have focused on addressing unemployment, poverty reduction, and promoting entrepreneurship, particularly among youth. The government has implemented a strategy to develop entrepreneurship aimed at reducing poverty [21] and has introduced new institutions in mahallas to support employment initiatives [22]. These efforts have yielded positive results, with the poverty level decreasing from 17.0% to 14.0% in 2022, lifting 1 million citizens out of poverty [23]. The government's approach includes training the population in modern professions, creating decent jobs, and supporting entrepreneurship. Cooperation between mahalla institutions and governmental and non-governmental organizations has been crucial in addressing youth employment [22]. The concept of universal employment is being replaced by a focus on desired employment and free choice of occupation [24]. These initiatives align with Uzbekistan's macroeconomic goals and reflect the country's commitment to improving the welfare of its population.

Methods

The study uses an analytical systematic methodology to examine the influence of factors that affect vocational education graduate professional development alongside labor market career opportunities in Uzbekistan. The study utilized a combination of quantitative and qualitative data analysis methods as part of its methodology to provide a complete knowledge of the labor market structure and vocational education system. The employment statistics for vocational education graduates were examined through comparative techniques through official documents as well as market data and educational policy guidance. The study followed a historical research method to examine how vocational training systems modified their teaching methods according to shifting work requirements. Research findings received additional strength through statistical grouping techniques which determined three essential employment measurements: vocational graduate employment numbers and occupational sector distribution and entrepreneurial initiative contributions to job market expansion. Research based on sociological surveys collected information about graduates’ understanding of job barriers as well as monetary obstacles alongside institutional support systems. Economic modeling within the study allows researchers to analyze labor supply and demand conditions so they can identify skills shortages while developing practical recommendations for vocational education improvement. The research used data triangulation to integrate different sources and increase the study reliability and validity. The research method provides multiple perspectives for complete employment pattern analysis which results in effective strategic initiatives to enhance vocational education outcomes between academic learning and labor market requirements.

Result and Discussion

The development of the labor market is an essential tool for developing workers and supporting new types of graduate employment. Therefore, the growth of labor supply in the labor market of our republic is largely determined by the state of the economically active part of the population. It depends on the competition in this market. Accordingly, the presence of labor competition in the labor market, on the one hand, promotes the growth, expansion and improvement of professional skills of the workforce, and on the other hand, encourages employers to create and maintain favorable working conditions and pay.

Today, in our country, it is necessary to ensure the efficiency of employment of the population, increase the employment rate of broad segments of the working-age population, and employ graduates of vocational education. One of the most important tasks is to study trends in labor market conditions. At the same time, the socio-economic relations of the development of the countries of the world differ significantly from the state of employment and its forms, traditional approaches to employment.

At the moment, graduates of the vocational education system who have entered the labor market of small and family-owned enterprises that have a significant impact on employment are receiving special attention and opening up wide opportunities.

In modern conditions, an improved new mechanism for ensuring the employment of graduates should regulate the impact of the following basic conditions: an increase in demand for labor and a decrease in its supply, the minimum wage (price) of wage labor from the minimum consumption budget. To determine, among other things, to increase the employment of able-bodied teenagers, pensioners, women with many children and the disabled. Promotion, professional development, competitiveness and professional mobility of the unemployed, ensuring effective development of labor market infrastructure, etc. (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Factors influencing the development of professional skills of graduates in the labor market

Also, social factors influencing the creation of new jobs for young people raise the social relations that arise at the same time to a higher level. Among them are the introduction of new forms of social and labor relations, social security in order to increase the level of social security, standard of living, its quality and labor activity, reducing unemployment among rural youth at the regional level, sending unemployed youth into the profession, vocational training, getting used to work, the process of labor training, and so on. We consider it advisable to introduce regional methods of achieving market balance based on the ratio of supply and demand for the youth workforce.

The main components of the labor market include: labor supply and demand, cost, price, and competition in hiring. Demand reflects the size and composition of the labor market needs in the sectors of the economy provided by the wage fund, income from individual farms and other vital resources. The offer reflects the quantity and quality (in terms of number, gender, age, education, profession, qualifications, nationality, production, income, etc.) of the workforce interested in obtaining a job on the terms of employment. A wide path has opened up to educational opportunities, professional growth, and the expansion of one's field. All this creates situations of high horizontal and vertical mobility of employment indicators.

In the regions, labor-intensive industries are mostly limited to sought-after professions, and the disparity in educational opportunities makes graduates less competitive at the entrance exams to higher and professional educational institutions. This condition causes professional limitations of the educational level of those employed in the regions. The analysis of the readiness of graduates of the education system to perform certain actions in the employment process has a direct impact on the factors of competitiveness and professional skills of graduates in the labor market.

Discussion In the labor market, it is advisable to study the economic, social and organizational mechanisms that affect the effectiveness of jobs for graduates of vocational education, directly from the point of view of changes in the supply and demand of labor. The control mechanism. The employment of graduates is grouped in the table below (Table 1).

As can be seen from the table above, due to the effective functioning of the conditions and support mechanisms created for graduates of vocational education, there is an expansion of their business ability, an increase in entrepreneurial initiatives. As a result, it is in the small business sector that the vast majority of employed youth work. The wide path to the development of small business and private entrepreneurship has become one of the guarantee tools that ensure the stability of the population in the growth of employment and income.

As of January 1, 2024, the number of permanent residents of the region in the Jizzakh region, which is the subject of our study, is 1,507,400 people, which increased by 31,900 people or 2.2% compared to the beginning of the year. Of these, 700.3 thousand people live in urban areas (46.9% of the total population) and 800.1 thousand people live in rural areas (53.1%). If about one and a half million people live in the region, then the share of the rural population is high, which means that employment can be developed at a sustainable level by creating new jobs in the labor market [9].

A sociological survey was conducted in some regions of the Jizzakh region in order to study financial support for young people in their entrepreneurial activities. To the question "Who do you turn to when looking for a job as a young employee?" young people who are temporarily unemployed - 13.8% to their parents, 29.3% to the state employment service, 10.4% to the non-governmental one. employment service, 9.7% on newspaper ads, 15.7% on Internet sites, 9.7% directly at enterprises. 8.9% of them said they had contacted their friends. According to the results of the sociological analysis: "What would you say about the existing difficulties in obtaining loans from banks for young entrepreneurs?" - the respondents answered the question as follows:

- for young entrepreneurs, banking institutions require more standard documents to issue a loan (32.5%);

- transparency of lending by a banking institution to young entrepreneurs is not ensured (34.5%);

- the high interest rate on the loan is set by the banking institution for young entrepreneurs (30.0%);

- those who noted the short repayment period of preferential loan interest by a banking institution for young entrepreneurs (17,8.0%) and other reasons (3.5%).

Conclusion

The study of labor relations at the macro level is the main means of regulating the labor market, where a special place is occupied by social and economic mechanisms that increase the need for labor and contribute to maintaining an effective supply of labor. The elements of the proposed effective socio-economic mechanisms for increasing employment make it possible to increase employment and reduce unemployment to an acceptable level and are an important basis for the development of employment programs.

In our opinion, the socio-economic mechanism for regulating the labor market should increase employment and reduce unemployment to an acceptable level. The achievement of effective employment associated with the use of new technologies and the reorganization of production should be taken into account when developing employment programs for the population.

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