Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) - According to the results of a survey conducted by the Central Bank among 850 enterprises in the public and private sectors of various sectors of the economy, in the fourth quarter of 2019, production growth was observed:

- in 63% of private sector enterprises (64% in the III quarter);

- in 70% of enterprises with state share (73% in the III quarter).

According to the results of studying factors that impede production growth, the proportion of respondents who noted high prices for raw materials (34%) and energy sources (27%), as well as high tax burden and complex tax administration (21%) as the main factor restraining production growth.

The share of respondents who noted “low demand for manufactured products” as the main factor in the underutilization of available production capacities increased from 18% in the III quarter to 23% in the IV quarter, and the percentage of respondents reporting problems with electricity and gas supply increased from 19 % to 23%.

A survey of the Central Bank shows that investment activity is much higher in the public sector (57% of enterprises made investments) than in the private sector (25%). In particular, if the share of private sector enterprises engaged in investment expenses in the III quarter was 26%, and in the IV quarter it remained 25%, then the share of state-owned enterprises increased from 39 to 57%. At the same time, the level of use of bank loans and leasing services as a source of financing investments in public sector enterprises (59%) is higher than in private sector enterprises (50%).

Among enterprises reporting export growth, 42% were public sector enterprises and 57% were private sector enterprises.

At the same time, the share of enterprises that indicated problems with energy supply was higher in the private sector than in enterprises with a state share. So, in the private sector, it amounted to 41% (in the public sector - 16%), with problems in providing natural gas to 33% (in state-owned enterprises - 19%).

In the fourth quarter of 2019, enterprises with state shares accelerated the process of creating new jobs (the percentage of respondents reporting new jobs increased from 20% in the third quarter to 23%), while in the private sector this process slowed down (decreased from 39% to 35%).

In the context of industries, the share of respondents reporting an increase in the number of jobs decreased in the building materials industry from 42% to 30%, in the automotive industry from 40% to 33%, in the field of transport services from 38% to 34%, in the tourism sector 38% to 16%, as well as in trade and public catering from 36% to 29%.