Structural Sources of Labour Productivity Growth in Uzbekistan in the Context of Global Trends

The article examines labour productivity trends and their sources globally and in Uzbekistan during 2022–2025, combining a comparative analysis of data from the ILO, OECD, UN, and national statistics with a shift-share decomposition. Global output per employed person grew by 1.7% in 2025, below the prepandemic average of 1.8%. In Uzbekistan, real labour productivity increased by 4.8% in 2024, but its growth slowed to 2.9% in 2025 as employment expanded by 4.7%. A decomposition across 19 sectors shows that growth was driven primarily by within-sector efficiency gains. The structural effect was negative (−50.6% of the total change), as 92% of employment growth occurred in the "other services" category, characterised by extremely low value added. Excluding this category, the structural effect becomes positive (+11.2%), potentially reflecting inconsistencies in statistical coverage. Recommendations for creating high-productivity jobs, developing human capital, and improving employment statistics are provided.