The share of services in Uzbekistan’s GDP reached 52.4% in the first half of 2013.

The services sector is a special area in any economy. On the one hand, it can create hundreds of jobs in labor-surplus regions with minimal time and cost, and on the other, it allows to provide any, even the most high-tech services in remote rural areas. Experts point out that it was this sphere able in a short time to radically change the situation in welfare of individual regions, creating new jobs in the sector, which is always in demand by people, and therefore, increasing the income of the local population.

In Uzbekistan, the first years of independence a focus was on the development of this sector. This policy was quite clear, as the majority of the population lives in rural areas, and therefore, had not always had the opportunity to receive high-quality services. For more than twenty years, the situation in this area has changed dramatically. The country has implemented a number of measures and programs aimed at increasing the share of this sector in GDP and the expansion of services provided, especially in the regions. If speak the language of numbers that most clearly demonstrate the progress made, by the end of the first half of this year, the volume of services increased by 12.1% compared to the same period in 2012. The share of services in GDP increased from 52.2% in the first half of 2012 to 52.4% in the first half of 2013.

Another step for development of this sector was made this year. The country has approved a program to further accelerate the development of the service sector in rural areas for 2013-2016, which laid parameters for a new round of development of the regions. It would seem, was not so much time, but there are tangible results from its implementation.

Overall, since the beginning of the year on the development of the infrastructure in the sphere of services more than 13 billion soums were sent. These funds are allocated by Mikrokredit Bank. According to experts, it is possible to significantly increase access to high-tech types of services in communication and information (up 21.5%), financial services (up 28.5%), retail trade and catering (15.2%), the domestic sector service (17.7%).

(Source: “Uzbekistan Today” Newspaper)