The initiative aims to establish a coordinated approach to forecasting labor market needs and training specialists for emerging and promising sectors of the economy. The Atlas would bring together national forecasts of in-demand professions and enable education and training programs to be aligned in advance with the actual needs of countries across the region.
The initiative is particularly relevant in light of Central Asia’s demographic trends. Today, the combined population of the five Central Asian countries exceeds 83 million and, according to United Nations projections, could surpass 100 million by 2040. Moreover, the region’s large share of young people creates favorable conditions for further economic development.
However, demographic growth alone does not guarantee rising prosperity. What matters most is the ability of governments to equip younger generations with modern knowledge, market-relevant skills, and opportunities for productive employment.
In this context, the strategic significance of the Regional Atlas lies in moving beyond predominantly national approaches to workforce planning toward jointly forecasting the professional skills and competencies required for the future development of Central Asia as a whole.
At present, workforce needs across the region are assessed primarily at the national level, using different methodologies and planning horizons. The requirements of neighboring labor markets are taken into account only to a limited extent. Against the backdrop of high labor mobility and expanding joint economic projects, this makes it increasingly difficult to align workforce training with growing regional demand.
This is particularly important as industrial cooperation deepens and transport corridors, energy infrastructure, and the digital economy continue to develop. The implementation of major cross-border projects will generate growing demand for engineers, technologists, and specialists in logistics, energy, information technology, and modern industrial management.
In this regard, one promising avenue for putting the Atlas into practice could be the introduction of a “workforce development tailored to specific projects” approach, under which specialists would be trained to meet the specific needs of joint ventures and infrastructure facilities. Such an approach would allow the required qualifications, number of specialists, and training timelines to be identified as early as the planning stage of major projects.
The regional dimension of the proposed mechanism is especially valuable. Central Asian countries possess complementary economic strengths and sectoral specializations. Bringing together national forecasts would not only help identify shared workforce needs but also facilitate the development of joint educational programs, academic mobility, and specialist training for projects involving several countries.
Furthermore, this model directly aligns with the “Six Economies – One Product” concept of industrial cooperation proposed by the President of Uzbekistan. The establishment of regional production chains will require compatible professional standards and a skilled workforce capable of operating within an integrated technological system.
As an initial step, it would be advisable to develop a pilot version of the Atlas covering two or three priority areas of regional industrial cooperation, including a comparison of national occupational classifications with international standards. This approach would help gradually establish a common methodological framework for forecasting workforce needs across Central Asian countries.
Looking ahead, the Regional Atlas could become an important step toward creating a shared space of professional opportunities, contributing to stronger economic cooperation, closer ties between societies, and improved living standards. In this way, human capital development would become not only a driver of economic growth but also an additional foundation for the long-term rapprochement of Central Asian countries, strengthening mutual trust and good-neighborly relations.
Samandar Ismailov, International Institute for Central Asia
