Green Skills Mismatch in Uzbekistan: Evidence from Employers, Vacancies and University Curricula
Abstract
The main contribution is that it does not focus only on green skill shortages but also makes an impact on other variables like workforce productivity and sustainable business development. In the context of Uzbekistan’s green transition, this study also shows that the alignment of university curricula with labour-market needs assists in enhancing the employability of graduates and the competitiveness of firms as green skills are directly related to their operational performance. This study examines mismatch relations between the green skill requirements of two types of labour-market sources with different analytical functions: employer assessments and vacancy descriptions. A PROMETHEE model (for ranking green skill gaps) and regression model (for estimating relationships) were designed to study the effects of curriculum alignment and employer demand and find the relationship between such variables as required green skills and graduate preparedness with labour-market outcomes. The study adopted a mixed research design and utilized PROMETHEE to test the relative importance of green skill mismatch factors and regression to analyze the data. The data was analyzed with regression models to estimate the influence of employer skill requirements and curriculum coverage. This positive relationship was also noticed in the association between curriculum alignment and graduate preparedness, resulting in higher levels of employability as evidence of improved skill relevance. Results showed the evidence of significant relationships between green skill demand and curriculum responsiveness with measurable effects on workforce readiness. This approach provides a broader view of green skill relations within labour-market processing. It may also contribute to the policy reform that is ongoing to change higher education from traditional knowledge provision to demand-oriented green skills development and its users as active participants in Uzbekistan’s sustainable economic transition.
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