Economist Day in Tajikistan Date in the current year: April 8, 2024

According to Wikipedia, an economist is a “professional and practitioner in the social science discipline of economics”. The term can have different shades of meaning depending on the country. In many former Soviet republics, including Tajikistan, the term “economist” usually refers to experts in economics or one of its subdisciplines (agricultural economics, industrial economics, financial economics, etc.) who work in the field of research, planning and management of economic activity.

Economists may be employed in many sectors, including academia, the public sector, accountancy, banking, business administration, commerce, insurance, marketing, and non-profit organizations. In some organizations, “economist” or “economic analyst” is a formalized role, while in others, all employees whose job tasks have something to do with economics (for example, accountants, financial analysts, etc.) are referred to as economists.

Economists employed by organizations and companies are usually tasked with conducting research, preparing reports, and formulating plans and strategies for the organization’s or company’s financial and economic activities. They provide analysis, forecasts and advice, collect and process economic and statistical data, participate in the development of the budget and control its execution, etc.

Tajikistan’s Economist Day was established in 2011 by the Law of the Republic of Tajikistan “On Holidays”. The main goal of the holiday is to highlight the contribution of economists to solving important socioeconomic issues of the country, promoting sustainable economic development, and improving living standards.

Economist Day is the professional holiday of all economists in Tajikistan, including employees of the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, ministries and departments of the economic sector, economic departments of local government, academies and universities, as well as economists employed in the private sector.

The celebration of Economist Day is coordinated by the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Tajikistan. They include awards ceremonies, conferences, symposiums, seminars, workshops, and other professional events. Like all professional holidays in Tajikistan, Economist Day is not a non-working holiday unless it falls on a weekend.

Tajikistan isn’t the only former Soviet Republic that has a professional holiday honoring economists. For instance, Russia has been celebrating Economist Day on November 11 since 2015. The holiday commemorates the establishment of the Imperial Free Economic Society for the Encouragement of Agriculture and Husbandry in 1765. In Belarus, Economist Day is celebrated on June 30 to commemorate the establishment of the Planning Committee of the Socialist Soviet Republic of Byelorussia in 1921. Specialists employed in the financial and economic sector of Kyrgyzstan celebrate their professional holiday on June 7.