A Million New Jobs on the Horizon in Kazakhstan – The Times Of Central Asia

At a meeting on sustainable employment on June 25, Kazakhstan’s Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov tasked his government to create employment for around a million citizens this year.

Referencing the initiative, Minister of Labor and Social Protection of the Population Svetlana Zhakupova reported that in 2024, the government plans to ensure employment for 948 thousand Kazakhstan citizens. To date, about 353 thousand people, including 148 thousand youths, have found work, representing 37% of the target.

Since the beginning of the year, 137 thousand people have secured state-subsidized jobs. Over 97 thousand have found employment under the Head of State’s initiative “100 new jobs for every 10 thousand people”; over 103 thousand have filled employers’ vacancies, and some 16 thousand have been employed by national project programs.

Prime Minister Bektenov announced that the concept behind “Development of the Labour Market of the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2024-2029” is to create a maximum number of permanent jobs, including those for young professionals.

Today, up to 25 percent of graduates of technical and vocational educational institutions, work outside their professions. To address the issue, Bektenov stressed the importance of establishing interaction with employers through means such as digital monitoring of employment which tracks projects requiring new labour.

In theory, the implementation of measures to ensure employment will create 3.8 million quality jobs by 2029.

The meeting also addressed issues concerning the employment of Kazakhstan citizens abroad and the protection of their rights.

Regarding the above, the Prime Minister warned, “We are aware of situations where their salaries were not paid, medical services were not provided, contracts were grossly violated. Work is therefore underway to conclude relevant intergovernmental agreements -and-  to systematize the work of private agencies that employ our citizens abroad. Kazakh citizens should receive reliable guarantees under the contract.”