Unable to find work at home, millions of Central Asians have traveled to Russia over the years in search of better employment opportunities.  

But the stagnating Russian economy and rising attacks on migrants is leading an increasing number of Central Asian workers to look for job opportunities in East Asia and the West, Radio Liberty says, noting that while the salaries are generally higher than in Russia, migrants face new obstacles.  Moving from job to job is reportedly far harder and many struggle with language barriers and cultural differences.

For decades, Russia has been the main destination for workers from Central Asia, including Tajikistan, where young populations have outgrown weak economies.

But increasing fear and economic uncertainty have weakened Russia’s pull for Central Asians.

Radio Liberty notes that Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which triggered international sanctions, has hit the economy and diminished the value of the Russian ruble.

In addition, Russia has deported or banned entry to tens of thousands of Central Asian migrants since a terrorist attack on a concert hall in Krasnogorsk in March last year that killed at least 145 people.

More recently, an Uzbek migrant worker was charged over the assassination of a Russian general in Moscow in December last year, triggering further fear and panic among Central Asian migrants in Russia.

Some Central Asians are choosing to leave Russia of their own accord, fearful of deportation and uncertain about their economic future.

More are travelling for work to South Korea, which has been a popular destination for Central Asian migrants.  The Republic of Korea has reportedly increased its intake of foreign workers in recent years.

Radio Liberty notes that figures published by Uzbekistan’s Central Bank in December showed a 70 percent increase in the remittances sent by Uzbek migrant workers from South Korea.  Over the first 10 months of 2024, the remittances reportedly amounted to over US$450 million, the Central Bank said.  Money sent from Russia still accounts for 78 percent of the US$12.6 billion in total remittances sent to Uzbekistan, the figures showed.

According to Uzbekistan’s Migration Service, some 100,000 Uzbeks are currently working in South Korea.

But the Migration Service warned citizens in a communication in December that the country’s quota for work placements in South Korea may be "seriously" endangered by the roughly 9,000 nationals that it said were currently living and working illegally in the country.

Kyrgyzstan’s Foreign Minister Jeenbek Kulubayev was cited as saying on December 30 that around 350,000 Kyrgyz nationals were registered as working in Russia, compared to 600,000 in 2023.

The number of Central Asian workers moving to the West is also increasing.

But the trend has reportedly been accompanied by scams that see migrants duped into making large payments in exchange for promised work in the European Union and the United States.