Over the past three years, more than 113,000 labour migrants have returned from Russia to Kyrgyzstan. This is the data provided by the Ministry of Labour, Social Protection and Migration. However, most of them do not stay at home for long - instead they reorient themselves towards Europe and other countries.

Why are they returning?

From 2022 to 2024, more than 128,000 Kyrgyz who are working abroad returned to the country. Of these, 88 per cent are from Russia. The main reasons are the expiry of labour contracts, problems with documents, search for new areas of work and family circumstances.
Europe instead of Russia

Most of the returned migrants do not plan to stay in Kyrgyzstan. Instead, they are considering new opportunities abroad - in the UK, Germany, Poland, Slovakia, Slovakia, Italy, Turkey, the UAE and South Korea. In 2024 alone, the Centre for Employment of Citizens Abroad has helped more than 20,000 Kyrgyz people find jobs in other countries. In addition, there are more than 50 private companies that help to find employment abroad. Most often it is work related to the hospitality industry, agriculture and factories.

And who stays?

Some citizens still decide to stay and work inside the country. Taking into account the construction boom in Kyrgyzstan in recent years, the chances of finding a job in the construction sector are great. Sometimes employers also hire foreign nationals from India and Bangladesh, which shows that they need workers. Moreover, representatives of the garment industry have repeatedly claimed that they are understaffed. They also hired foreign nationals by the way. 

According to official data, more than 1,500 people have found jobs in Kyrgyzstan through employment centres. For them, the Labour Ministry offers retraining programmes, training and support in starting small businesses.

Mekenim 1+1 programme: a chance to start from scratch

Batken Oblast is implementing a pilot programme to support migrants, Mekenim 1+1, with the participation of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). The essence of the project is co-financing of business ideas of returned migrants. The 1+1 principle works: the migrant invests his savings, the state or a donor organisation invests the same amount.

There are already examples: 14 migrants who returned from Great Britain received grants to start businesses ranging from sewing workshops to growing raspberries and making furniture. In total, 21 grants worth more than 7.7 million KGS have been awarded under the first and second phases of the project.

In 2024-2026, 20 more migrants will receive support under the 1+1 programme, with the total fund of the third phase amounting to KGS 7.3 million.