In a report released at a news conference in Dushanbe, Tajik Labor and Migration Minister Sumangul Taghoizoda revealed on January 19 that 517,300 Tajik nationals, including 81,800 women, left the country last year for seasonal wok.

According to her, Tajik labor migrants traveled primarily to Russia (504,900) but also to Kazakhstan (12,400), Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.

The minister noted that the number of Tajik labor migrants who traveled abroad in 2016 had dropped by 6.0 percent (35,288) compared to 2015.

At the same time, the number of Tajik migrant workers who left to Kazakhstan last year has increased by 13 percent compared to 2015, Taghoizoda noted.

Meanwhile, more than 400,000 Tajik labor migrants returned to Tajikistan in 2016, the minister added. 

Recall, Taghoizoda told reporters on July 21, 2016 that 308,676 Tajik migrant workers have left the country over the first half of 2016 to seek work.

The number of them has reportedly dropped by nearly 8.0 percent (27,949) compared to the same period of 2015.

According to her, the majority of migrant workers last year traveled to Russia (301,654).

Taghoizoda attributed the decline in labor migration to the financial crisis in Russia, the weakening of the country's currency, as well as Russia’s tough new regulations for migrants.