Publication Details
Abstract
This study develops an operational concept of digital labor adaptability and embeds it in a mahalla-based digital governance model for sustainable youth employment in Uzbekistan. The empirical component uses annual national indicators for 2020-2025 and exploratory Pearson correlations to examine whether the expansion of digital access and digital-sector employment has been accompanied by improved youth labor-market outcomes. Internet use increased from 71.1 to 90.0 users per 100 people, employment in information and communication rose from 62.2 to 110.5 thousand, and registered self-employment expanded from 0.1 to 4.4 million persons. However, youth unemployment declined only from 12.8% to 11.4%, with an increase in 2025, while estimated informal employment decreased from 40.0% to 38.0%. Youth unemployment was strongly associated with the overall employment-to-population ratio (r = -0.979, P<0.01) and internet use (r = -0.879, P<0.05), although the six-year series does not permit causal inference. The proposed model integrates a unified digital youth profile, risk classification, assessment of digital labor adaptability, individual pathway assignment, coordinated employment and entrepreneurship services, and outcome monitoring after 3, 6, and 12 months. Its performance is evaluated through formal employment, income growth, skill matching, retention, and business survival rather than program participation alone. The model provides a practical architecture for linking national digital infrastructure with local last-mile institutions and for shifting youth policy from administrative coverage to sustainable labor-market outcomes. The article proposes a five-domain measurement blueprint for digital labor adaptability; individual scores are not calculated because harmonized youth microdata are not yet available.