17,000 Kyrgyz citizens are employed abroad, 40% of whom are women

Since the beginning of the year, private employment agencies have placed 17,200 Kyrgyz citizens in jobs abroad, with women accounting for about 40% of all those who left, according to data from the Center for Employment of Citizens Abroad.

Thus, every second migrant worker sent abroad through private agencies is a woman, totaling 6,957 people. This highlights structural changes in migration flows.

The most popular destinations remain the United Kingdom and Turkey, where more than 5,000 people went, followed by Germany, Russia, and Bulgaria. The rest of the citizens were employed in other countries in Europe and Asia, as well as on cruise ships and in Arab states.

During the reporting period, the interdepartmental commission reviewed 206 applications for work permits abroad, of which 143 were approved, 19 were rejected, and 51 are still under review. The republican budget's income from issuing permits amounted to 572,000 KGS.

The ministry separately notes the work done to protect the rights of migrants. With the assistance of the Center, 20 citizens were able to recover 1.13 million KGS lost due to the unlawful actions of employers or intermediaries.