Key Takeaways

• Kazakhstan’s Labor Market Remains Stable: Employment reached 9.32 million in 2025, with unemployment at 4.6%, highlighting steady workforce growth and evolving recruitment opportunities in 2026.
• Rising Salaries and Talent Shortages Shape Hiring Trends: With 1.328 million job vacancies in 2025 and average monthly wages reaching KZT 473,158 in Q4, employers face growing competition for skilled professionals.
• AI and Digital Transformation Drive Recruitment Trends: Kazakhstan’s expanding technology sector, increasing AI adoption, and demand for IT specialists are reshaping talent acquisition, workforce development, and hiring strategies in 2026.

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Kazakhstan’s recruitment market in 2026 reflects steady employment growth, rising salaries, and increasing demand for skilled workers. With 9.32 million employed people, a 4.6% unemployment rate, and 1.328 million job vacancies recorded in 2025, explore 104 recruitment statistics covering hiring trends, talent shortages, workforce development, and AI adoption.

Kazakhstan’s recruitment landscape in 2026 is undergoing a significant transformation, driven by economic diversification, digital innovation, evolving workforce expectations, and increasing competition for skilled professionals. As Central Asia’s largest economy, Kazakhstan has emerged as an important employment market for multinational corporations, recruitment agencies, HR professionals, and businesses seeking to expand their operations across the region.

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With a growing workforce, rising salaries, expanding technology industries, and government-backed digital transformation initiatives, Kazakhstan presents substantial opportunities for employers and job seekers alike. However, persistent skills shortages, regional employment imbalances, wage inflation, and changing employee expectations are creating new challenges for talent acquisition and workforce management.

Understanding the latest recruitment statistics in Kazakhstan in 2026 is essential for businesses looking to develop effective hiring strategies, benchmark compensation packages, attract qualified candidates, and remain competitive in an increasingly dynamic labor market.

Kazakhstan’s Labor Market in 2026: Employment Growth and Workforce Dynamics

Kazakhstan entered 2026 with relatively stable employment conditions and continued workforce expansion. According to labor market statistics compiled for 2025, approximately 9.32 million people were employed in Kazakhstan, representing an increase of 106,000 workers compared with the previous year.

The country’s unemployment rate remained at approximately 4.6% for five consecutive quarters through the third quarter of 2025, highlighting the relative stability of its employment market. Meanwhile, the total labor force reached approximately 9.78 million people by the third quarter of 2025, reflecting sustained growth in workforce participation.

The employment landscape is also becoming increasingly formalized. Kazakhstan recorded approximately 7.17 million salaried employees in 2025, while self-employment declined to around 2.15 million people. Informal employment also decreased by approximately 15%, suggesting a gradual transition toward more structured employment arrangements.

Nevertheless, these positive employment indicators do not eliminate the challenges facing recruiters. Employers continue to experience difficulties sourcing qualified professionals, particularly in technology, healthcare, engineering, education, and specialized industrial occupations.

Regional disparities further complicate recruitment. Major economic centers such as Almaty and Astana attract substantial hiring activity, while northern industrial regions face talent shortages and some southern regions experience an oversupply of job seekers.

For employers operating in Kazakhstan, understanding these workforce dynamics is critical for developing location-specific recruitment strategies and identifying untapped talent pools.

Recruitment Demand and Job Vacancies in Kazakhstan

One of the most revealing indicators of Kazakhstan’s recruitment market is the volume of job vacancies and candidate activity.

In 2025, approximately 1.328 million job vacancies were posted in Kazakhstan, compared with 1.454 million job seeker profiles registered during the same period. This difference illustrates the importance of understanding skills mismatches rather than relying exclusively on overall labor supply figures.

The education sector accounted for approximately 380,600 vacancies, representing 28.7% of total openings. Healthcare recorded another 117,400 vacancies, reflecting substantial demand for nurses, medical assistants, and other healthcare professionals.

Notably, approximately 75% of advertised vacancies required skilled workers, while roughly half were classified as blue-collar positions. These figures demonstrate that Kazakhstan’s recruitment market encompasses both highly specialized professional opportunities and substantial demand for technical, industrial, and operational workers.

Geographical differences are equally significant. Pavlodar recorded approximately 83,000 vacancies against 50,000 registered job seeker profiles in 2025, whereas Turkestan Region reported 184,400 candidate profiles against 96,700 vacancies.

These regional differences highlight the importance of workforce mobility, targeted recruitment campaigns, vocational training, and more effective candidate matching.

For recruitment agencies and employers, the ability to identify where talent shortages exist and which industries face the greatest hiring pressures can provide a meaningful competitive advantage.

Salary Trends and Compensation Expectations in Kazakhstan

Compensation remains one of the most influential factors shaping recruitment and employee retention in Kazakhstan.

The country’s average monthly wage reached approximately 473,158 Kazakhstani tenge (KZT) in the fourth quarter of 2025, while the median monthly wage for 2025 stood at approximately KZT 317,512.

Although nominal salaries have increased, inflation continues to influence purchasing power and employee expectations. The median monthly wage increased by 11.1% nominally in 2025, but real growth was substantially lower at approximately 0.4%.

Salary disparities across industries, regions, and educational backgrounds also remain considerable.

For example, average monthly earnings in Atyrau reached approximately KZT 640,938, reflecting the importance of the oil and gas industry, while Turkestan recorded substantially lower average earnings of approximately KZT 304,325.

Employees with postgraduate qualifications earned approximately KZT 672,493 monthly, compared with KZT 289,673 for workers with secondary education.

These differences emphasize the importance of competitive salary benchmarking, transparent compensation structures, and industry-specific remuneration strategies.

Looking ahead, more than 70% of employers surveyed indicated plans to review salaries in 2026, with many considering adjustments of approximately 10% to 20%.

For HR managers and recruiters, staying informed about Kazakhstan’s salary statistics is increasingly important for attracting experienced professionals, managing payroll budgets, and reducing employee turnover.

Technology Recruitment, Artificial Intelligence, and Emerging Skills

Kazakhstan’s technology sector is becoming an increasingly important driver of employment growth and recruitment innovation.

The country’s expanding digital economy, supported by government initiatives and international investment, is generating demand for software developers, artificial intelligence specialists, cybersecurity professionals, data scientists, and other technology workers.

According to the compiled recruitment data, salaries in programming and consulting reached approximately KZT 1.2 million per month by the second quarter of 2025, representing a substantial increase compared with 2020.

Machine learning engineers were among the highest-paid technology professionals, with reported monthly earnings reaching approximately KZT 1.6 million.

However, Kazakhstan’s IT recruitment landscape presents a complex picture. Despite strong demand for specialized technical expertise, the national labor exchange recorded approximately 17 IT job seekers for every advertised IT vacancy in one reported comparison.

This suggests that recruitment challenges may stem not simply from an insufficient number of applicants, but from mismatches between available qualifications and the specialized skills required by employers.

Government-supported initiatives are also reshaping the country’s technology talent pipeline.

Astana Hub had more than 1,500 member companies by 2025, including over 400 international businesses. Meanwhile, more than 371,000 citizens reportedly completed AI-related skills training through its AI Movement initiative during 2025.

Kazakhstan’s broader artificial intelligence development strategy for 2024–2029 further emphasizes digital education, technological innovation, and the creation of a more competitive workforce.

These developments suggest that AI literacy, cybersecurity expertise, data analytics, and advanced software engineering will play increasingly important roles in Kazakhstan’s recruitment market throughout 2026 and beyond.

Changing Job Seeker Behavior and Employee Retention Trends

Recruitment in Kazakhstan is also being transformed by changing employee expectations, career mobility, and workplace preferences.

According to recruitment survey findings included in the compiled data, approximately 54% of job changers identified higher salaries as their primary motivation for switching employers, while 38% cited better career development opportunities.

These findings reinforce the importance of offering competitive compensation alongside meaningful professional development.

Employee mobility is another significant consideration. Approximately 58% of surveyed workers expressed willingness to join a competing company, while 15% reported having returned to a former employer.

Such trends highlight the growing relevance of employer branding, internal mobility programs, employee engagement, and long-term retention strategies.

Recruitment channels are also evolving. Online job boards remain important for attracting specialists, while professional networks and personal relationships continue to influence managerial and executive recruitment.

At the same time, artificial intelligence is increasingly being incorporated into HR operations. More than 60% of companies in one employer survey reported using AI tools for activities such as data analysis, recruitment automation, and business processes.

As these technologies become more widely adopted, employers will need to balance recruitment efficiency with candidate experience, transparency, and effective human decision-making.

Why Kazakhstan Recruitment Statistics Matter in 2026

For employers, recruitment agencies, investors, HR technology providers, and policymakers, Kazakhstan’s labor market statistics provide valuable insights into the opportunities and challenges shaping the country’s employment landscape.

Reliable recruitment data can help organizations understand hiring demand, identify emerging skills shortages, compare salaries, evaluate workforce availability, and make more informed talent acquisition decisions.

It can also support strategic planning for companies entering Kazakhstan or expanding their operations across Central Asia.

Whether an organization is recruiting software engineers in Almaty, healthcare professionals in Astana, industrial workers in Pavlodar, or senior executives for multinational operations, understanding the latest employment trends can improve recruitment outcomes and workforce planning.

Importantly, the statistics examined in this article include historical employment figures, recruitment survey findings, and forward-looking economic projections. Most reported labor market observations relate to 2024 and 2025, providing the foundation for understanding recruitment conditions and emerging trends in 2026.

What This Article Covers

This comprehensive guide to the Top 104 Recruitment Statistics, Data & Trends in Kazakhstan in 2026 explores the most important quantitative indicators shaping the country’s hiring and employment landscape.

It examines employment and unemployment rates, workforce demographics, job vacancy trends, industry-specific talent demand, average salaries, compensation expectations, recruitment behavior, employee retention, technology hiring, artificial intelligence adoption, and future workforce development.

The article also investigates regional employment disparities, skills shortages, digital transformation initiatives, and economic developments influencing recruitment decisions.

By bringing together 104 recruitment and labor market statistics, this guide provides a data-driven overview of Kazakhstan’s evolving employment environment.

Whether you are an employer seeking qualified candidates, a recruiter developing more effective hiring strategies, a job seeker evaluating career opportunities, or an investor assessing Kazakhstan’s workforce potential, these statistics offer a useful foundation for understanding the country’s recruitment market in 2026.

Explore the following 104 recruitment statistics to discover the key hiring trends, workforce challenges, salary developments, and emerging opportunities shaping the future of employment in Kazakhstan.

Before we venture further into this article, we would like to share who we are and what we do.

About 9cv9

9cv9 is a business tech startup based in Singapore and in Asia, with a strong presence all over the world.

With over ten years of startup and business experience, and being highly involved in connecting with thousands of companies and startups, the 9cv9 team has access to some of the best talents in the world.

If your company needs recruitment and headhunting services to hire top-quality employees, you can use 9cv9 headhunting and recruitment services to hire top talents and candidates. Email us at hello@9cv9.com.

Top 104 Recruitment Statistics, Data & Trends in Kazakhstan in 2026

🏗️ LABOR MARKET FUNDAMENTALS

1. 9,320,000 people were employed in Kazakhstan in 2025 — up 106,000 from 2024, confirming that the labor market’s positive momentum continues to translate into real job growth for Kazakhstanis.
2. Kazakhstan’s employment rate reached 67% in 2025 — ranking the country 29th globally according to ILO, placing it ahead of the US, UK, Germany, and France, all at 59%.
3. The ILO unemployment rate stood at 4.6% for five consecutive quarters through Q3 2025 — reflecting exceptional labor market stability that gives both employers and job seekers a predictable hiring environment.
4. 451,500 individuals were counted as unemployed in Q1 2025 — down 1,200 year-on-year, showing a slow but consistent reduction in absolute unemployment numbers.
5. The employment rate among the population aged 15+ was 64.8% in Q3 2025 — up from 64.4% in Q1 2025, signaling steady labor force activation throughout the year.
6. The total labor force reached 9.78 million people by Q3 2025 — an increase of 96,311 year-on-year, demonstrating that Kazakhstan’s workforce continues to expand meaningfully.
7. Only 323,700 people were officially registered as unemployed with employment agencies (March 2025) — just 3.3% of the labor force, suggesting that most job seekers bypass official channels and search independently.
8. Total employment grew by 154,800 people between Q4 2023 and Q4 2024 — with nearly all the gain (141,500) attributable to salaried positions, reflecting formalisation of the workforce.
9. Trade and retail is the largest employment sector in Kazakhstan at 17% of the workforce — followed by education (13.4%), industry (12.5%), and agriculture (10.3%), per Q1 2025 BNS data.
10. The unemployment rate among youth aged 15–34 was 3.1% in Q1 2025 — lower than the general rate of 4.6%, reflecting relatively strong demand for young workers in service and trade sectors.

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💰 WAGES & COMPENSATION

11. The average monthly wage in Kazakhstan reached ₸473,158 KZT in Q4 2025 — the highest quarterly figure on record, representing a consistent upward trajectory in nominal earnings.
12. Full-year 2024 average salary was ₸405,416 per month — an increase of 11.3% over 2023, though real wage growth was a more modest 2.4% after adjusting for inflation.
13. The median monthly wage in 2025 was ₸317,512 KZT — up 11.1% nominally from 2024, though only 0.4% in real terms, revealing persistent inflationary erosion of purchasing power.
14. The minimum wage was set at ₸85,000 per month from January 1, 2025 — serving as the legal floor for all employers and impacting the pay structure particularly in agriculture and service sectors.
15. 53.7% of employees earn above ₸300,000 per month — a structural wage improvement where the majority of the workforce now earns above the median, a significant distributional gain.
16. 3.3% of employees earn below ₸100,000 per month — while 10.5% earn ₸100,001–₸150,000, indicating a shrinking but still significant low-wage segment at the bottom of the distribution.
17. Average wages rose 1.9 times over the past five years — with women’s wages growing at a faster pace than men’s during this period, a notable gender pay convergence trend.
18. The highest regional salary in Kazakhstan is in Atyrau at ₸640,938/month — driven by the oil and gas industry, nearly double the lowest region, Turkestan, at ₸304,325/month.
19. Workers with postgraduate education earn ₸672,493/month, vs ₸289,673 for secondary education — a 2.3× premium for advanced credentials that continues to widen, reinforcing the returns to higher education.
20. Workers aged 35–44 earn the most at ₸455,070/month, while those aged 16–24 earn the lowest at ₸279,875/month — confirming the earnings premium for experience in Kazakhstan’s labor market.
21. The hourly wage per employee in 2025 was ₸2,334 tenge — up 12% from 2024, with real hourly wages more modestly improved after accounting for consumer price inflation.
22. Financial and insurance activities had the highest median wage growth in 2025 at +31.3% — followed by transport and warehousing (+24.1%) and agriculture (+22.9%), signaling sectoral divergence in compensation.
23. Average wages in Q2 2025 were ₸448,620 tenge — Q2 has historically been the strongest quarter due to mid-year bonuses, followed by a seasonal Q3 dip to ₸429,368.

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📋 JOB VACANCIES & TALENT DEMAND

24. 1.328 million job vacancies were posted in Kazakhstan in 2025 — an enormous volume indicating robust employer demand, though still below the 1.454 million profiles uploaded by job seekers.
25. Labor supply exceeded demand by approximately 125,800 applicants in 2025 — not all job seekers can find suitable roles, underscoring structural mismatches between available skills and employer needs.
26. Education posted the highest number of vacancies in 2025 at 380,600 openings (28.7%) — reflecting deep shortfalls in teacher supply, particularly in early childhood and rural education.
27. Healthcare ranked 3rd with 117,400 vacancies (8.8% of total) — with nurses and medical assistants topping the most-wanted list at 21,700 openings paying ₸143,000–₸178,000/month.
28. 75% of all 2025 vacancies required skilled labor — 999,000 of 1.328 million openings, reinforcing that unskilled roles are shrinking as Kazakhstan’s economy upgrades in complexity.
29. 50% of all vacancies (665,500) were for blue-collar working-class positions — pointing to Kazakhstan’s continued reliance on manual labor in construction, logistics, and production.
30. The highest salaries offered in 2025 were for marine navigators at ₸875,000–₸900,000/month — followed by mining deputy site managers (₸714,000+) and drilling machine operators (₸700,000+).
31. Pilots topped the list of jobs with highest salary expectations from job seekers at ₸1.9 million/month — far exceeding employer offers, illustrating the gap between aspirations and market rates in niche roles.
32. North Kazakhstan and Pavlodar had significant labor shortages in 2025 — Pavlodar recorded 83,000 vacancies against only 50,000 registered profiles, a shortfall of 33,000 potential hires.
33. South Kazakhstan showed surplus job seekers — Turkestan Region had 184,400 profiles for just 96,700 vacancies, pointing to regional labor market imbalances that persist despite migration.
34. Open vacancies at enterprises reached 63,871 in Q3 2025 — up 1,572 from Q2, a signal of a tightening talent market and growing difficulty in filling positions quickly.
35. Almaty City led all regions for vacancies at 15,471 openings in Q3 2025 — followed by Astana at 7,550, with both cities functioning as the country’s primary hiring hubs.
36. Job-seeking activity peaks in July, with 148,000 profiles uploaded at that month’s high — employers peak in August with 141,700 vacancies, revealing clear recruitment seasonality in Kazakhstan.

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💻 IT & TECH HIRING

37. Kazakhstan’s IT services market is projected to reach US$1.8 billion by 2029 — growing at a 9.36% CAGR, representing one of the fastest-expanding segments of the national economy.
38. 19,500 programmers, developers, and AI specialists were officially registered as of June 2025 — a conservative figure that excludes the many IT professionals embedded within energy and industrial companies.
39. IT wages in 2025 are 2.8× the national average — up sharply from 1.7× in 2020, reflecting explosive demand for digital talent and the growing scarcity of qualified candidates.
40. Salaries in programming and consulting rose 2.5 times from 2020 to Q2 2025, reaching ₸1.2 million tenge per month — one of the steepest sectoral wage increases in Kazakhstan’s history.
41. Machine learning engineers earn the highest IT salary at ₸1.6 million/month ($2,900) — followed by data scientists at ₸1.1 million and data warehouse specialists at ₸1.08 million.
42. There are 17 IT job-seekers per vacancy on Kazakhstan’s national labor exchange — 9,700 IT resumes competed for only 580 postings, revealing intense competition beneath the headline labor shortage narrative.
43. IT sector wages rose 40% between 2021 and 2024 per Kolesa Group survey data — reflecting the global tech talent premium and Kazakhstan’s ambitions as a regional digital hub.
44. International companies increased their IT headcount by 17–37% between 2021 and 2024 — signaling that multinationals are aggressively building tech teams in Kazakhstan as a cost-effective talent pool.
45. Astana Hub had over 1,500 member companies by 2025, including 400+ international firms — making it Central Asia’s largest tech ecosystem and a primary engine of Kazakhstan’s digital economy.
46. Kazakhstan IT services were exported to 111 countries by end of 2025 — up from 86 countries in 2024, with top markets including the US, UK, Ireland, Mexico, UAE, and Singapore.
47. 371,000+ citizens completed AI skills training via Astana Hub’s AI Movement in 2025 — signaling a wide-based push to create digital literacy at scale, not just for specialists.
48. Kazakhstan’s government targets $5 billion in IT exports by 2029 — part of the National AI Development Concept (2024–2029), alongside a goal of creating 5 tech unicorns.
49. The ICT market is projected to reach $2.08 billion by 2029 — at a 9.36% CAGR, making Kazakhstan one of the fastest-growing digital economies in the Central Asian and broader CIS region.
50. There are currently 20 regional IT hubs across Kazakhstan — with the Startup Orda regional incubation program launched across 16 regions, generating 695 applications and 205 funded startup projects.

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🔄 RECRUITMENT BEHAVIOR & JOB MOBILITY

51. 48% of job seekers found employment within 1 month in 2025 — up from 42% in 2022, reflecting the country’s tight labor market and improving matching between candidates and employers.
52. Over 60% of all candidates secured a new job in fewer than 3 months — a remarkably fast turnover rate that compels employers to accelerate their hiring pipelines significantly.
53. 20% of employees were actively looking for a new job in 2025 — up 3 percentage points from 2024, indicating growing worker restlessness and willingness to leave even stable positions.
54. 48% of employees reported no change in their salary in 2025 — despite inflationary pressure, nearly half of workers experienced wage stagnation, creating retention risk for employers.
55. 7% of Antal Kazakhstan survey respondents reported a salary decrease in 2025 — a concerning minority figure that underscores divergent outcomes even within a broadly growing economy.
56. 54% of job changers cite higher salary as their primary reason for switching — making compensation the single most powerful retention lever for Kazakhstani employers to address.
57. 38% cite better career development as a reason for choosing a new employer — rising 6pp from 2024, showing that career growth is fast becoming as important as pay in job decisions.
58. Online job boards are used by 32% of specialists to find jobs — the top channel for non-management workers, while professional networks and personal contacts dominate at senior levels.
59. Professional networks and personal contacts account for ~40% of how managers and top managers find roles — demonstrating that relationship-based hiring remains a powerful force in Kazakhstan’s executive market.
60. 27% of job changers expected a 21–30% salary bump when moving — the most common expectation bracket; 25% expected increases above 50%, reflecting ambitious compensation aspirations.
61. The number of employees planning to switch jobs rose in 2025 vs 2024 — with 12% actively searching and 48% open to interesting offers, meaning only 20% are firmly not considering a move.
62. 58% of survey respondents said they would be willing to join a competitor company — 21% said no and 21% were uncertain, pointing to high inter-firm mobility in Kazakhstan’s competitive talent market.
63. 15% of workers have returned to a former employer — the top reasons being new functionality (44%), higher salary (48%), and enjoying the team more (39%), suggesting “boomerang hiring” is a real trend.

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🏢 EMPLOYER TRENDS & HR PRACTICES

64. More than 60% of companies surveyed already use AI tools for HR processes — including data analysis, recruitment automation, and client engagement — positioning AI as a mainstream HR technology in Kazakhstan.
65. More than 70% of employers plan to review salaries in 2026 — most in the 10–20% range, responding to inflationary pressure and intensifying competition for skilled professionals.
66. Nearly 50% of employers cite shortage of qualified specialists as their #1 HR challenge — reflecting a structural skills deficit that government upskilling initiatives have not yet fully closed.
67. 55% of companies surveyed are international (with HQ abroad) — vs 45% local, confirming Kazakhstan’s role as a destination for multinational teams and a test bed for regional expansion.
68. 91% of employees in Kazakhstan work under a formal Labor Code contract — one of the highest formalization rates in the CIS, providing strong legal protection for the majority of workers.
69. 41% of companies in Kazakhstan employ fewer than 101 people — while 23% employ 1,000+, revealing a bifurcated market of large enterprise employers alongside a dominant SME base.
70. The 20–24 age cohort is projected to drop to 1.24 million by end of 2025 — down from a peak of 1.65 million in 2010, a 25% decline that will constrain entry-level talent pipelines for years.
71. Up to 1% of Kazakhstan’s population emigrates annually (“brain drain”) — with the most educated and mobile segment most likely to leave, putting pressure on Kazakhstan’s skilled workforce pool.
72. The average age in Kazakhstan is just under 30 — one of the youngest demographics globally, offering long-term labor force growth potential if youth employment programs succeed.
73. More than 70% of employers plan to review salaries in 2026 — signaling that 2026 will see widespread compensation adjustments as companies balance retention with inflationary budget pressures.

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🌐 WORKFORCE STRUCTURE & EMPLOYMENT COMPOSITION

74. 7.17 million salaried employees worked in Kazakhstan in 2025 — up from 7.02 million in 2024, a 150,000-person expansion of formal employment, the strongest driver of overall job growth.
75. Self-employed individuals declined slightly to 2.15 million in 2025 — from 2.20 million in 2024, suggesting a gradual shift from informal self-employment toward salaried formal work.
76. Informal employment dropped by 15% in 2025 to 942,000 people — from 1.11 million in 2024, a remarkable formalization milestone driven by government enforcement and digital payroll systems.
77. Urban employment reached 5.91 million in 2025 — up 161,000 year-on-year, while rural employment contracted slightly from 3.47 million to 3.41 million, reinforcing urbanization trends.
78. 6.2% of youth were classified as NEET (not in employment, education, or training) in Q1 2025 — a persistent challenge requiring targeted intervention to prevent a lost generation of disconnected young people.
79. 1.8 million young people aged 15–28 were employed in Kazakhstan in 2024 — up 0.6% year-on-year, with 77.7% (1.4 million) working as salaried employees.
80. 62,000 people aged 15–28 were unemployed in 2024 — a 6.7% decline from 2023, suggesting youth employment programs are beginning to yield measurable results.
81. The youth unemployment rate for 16–24-year-olds was 3.7% in 2024 — below the general rate of 4.7%, counterintuitively showing young workers are finding jobs at a faster rate than the general population.
82. The average workweek is 39 hours for all employed, 41 hours for salaried workers, and 36 for self-employed — salaried workers put in the longest hours, reflecting traditional employer-driven scheduling norms.
83. Male employment reached 4.81 million in 2025 (up from 4.76M) — while female employment grew to 4.51 million (up from 4.45M), both genders gaining employment simultaneously.

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📊 ECONOMIC CONTEXT & MACROECONOMICS

84. Kazakhstan’s GDP grew an estimated 4.0% in 2024 — driven by strong oil exports, fiscal stimulus, and growing domestic consumption, maintaining the country’s regional economic leadership.
85. GDP growth is projected at 4.5–5.0% for 2025 — a temporary acceleration fueled by a one-time oil production surge and continued infrastructure investment.
86. The World Bank forecasts 4.5% GDP growth for Kazakhstan in 2026 — reflecting sustained confidence in Kazakhstan’s economic management and diversification trajectory.
87. Inflation is projected to cool to approximately 6% in 2026 — down from higher recent levels, improving the purchasing power of nominal wage gains for Kazakhstani workers.
88. Kazakhstan is the largest economy in Central Asia — its labor market developments directly shape regional hiring norms, wage expectations, and talent migration patterns across neighboring countries.
89. Kazakhstan invested 625 billion tenge in science development over three years — with a focus on AI and data science, directly creating new academic and industry research employment opportunities.
90. The cybersecurity sector is expected to reach $448.5 million by 2029 — driven by surging digital payments and data security mandates, creating severe talent shortages in this niche field.

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🤖 DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION & FUTURE SKILLS

91. In June 2024, Kazakhstan adopted its AI Development Concept for 2024–2029 — setting targets of training 5 million people in AI skills and 500,000 industry specialists over five years.
92. Kazakhstan aims to train 1 million people in AI skills through various programs — with the Ministry of Digital Development leading the initiative and partnering with global firms like Google, NVIDIA, and Huawei.
93. 20% of educational institutions were planning to offer AI courses by 2029 — reflecting a systemic effort to embed AI literacy at the foundation of the national curriculum.
94. AI and big data technologies could boost Kazakhstan’s GDP by 5–6% annually by 2030 — per government projections, representing a fundamental economic transformation worth hundreds of billions of tenge.
95. The World Economic Forum forecasts 22% of jobs globally will be transformed by 2030 — with 170 million new roles created and 82 million eliminated, making reskilling an existential priority for Kazakhstan’s HR community.
96. Digital payment usage in Kazakhstan rose from 7% in 2014 to 89% in 2024 — a near-complete transformation that simultaneously created new fintech roles and displaced traditional banking functions.
97. Over 90% of economically active Kazakhstanis now use digital government platforms — biometric digital ID adoption has made the country a leader in e-government, creating demand for digital governance consultants.
98. In February 2025, Kazakhstan launched three new visa categories including a Digital Nomad Visa — attracting international IT specialists, with around 500 applications from 21 countries, including the US, Canada, and Turkey.

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📈 SKILLS DEMAND & TRAINING

99. Kazakhstan targets training 100,000 IT specialists by 2025 — through programs like Tech Orda, which trained 9,037 students across 121 IT schools between 2022–2025, with 34,000+ 2025 applications alone.
100. The Tech Orda program offers ₸1,300 grants for tech education — an accessible entry point for young Kazakhstanis to enter the digital economy without prohibitive upfront costs.
101. Engineering jobs rose 25% since 2022 — and IT sector growth is projected at 20% annually, making technical engineering one of the most reliable career trajectories in Kazakhstan.
102. A cybersecurity shortfall of ~5,000 professionals exists in Kazakhstan — despite demand growth of 27%, the talent pipeline remains underdeveloped for this critical national security function.
103. Big Data demand is projected to more than double; fintech engineers +92%; AI/ML experts +83% — among the fastest-growing roles in Kazakhstan per WEF’s future-of-work projections cited by the Times of Central Asia.
104. Kazakhstan has 20 regional IT hubs — distributed across the country to democratize access to tech education and prevent concentration of the digital economy solely in Almaty and Astana.

Conclusion

Kazakhstan’s recruitment landscape in 2026 reflects a labor market undergoing significant transformation, characterized by steady employment growth, rising salary expectations, increasing demand for specialized skills, and accelerating digital adoption. As Central Asia’s largest economy, Kazakhstan continues to offer substantial opportunities for employers, recruitment agencies, HR professionals, and job seekers, even as workforce shortages, regional employment disparities, and evolving employee expectations create new hiring challenges.

The Top 104 Recruitment Statistics, Data & Trends in Kazakhstan in 2026 highlight a country with relatively stable employment conditions and an increasingly diverse labor market. With approximately 9.32 million employed individuals in 2025, an unemployment rate of around 4.6%, and a workforce approaching 9.78 million people, Kazakhstan has established a strong foundation for continued labor market development.

However, stable unemployment figures do not necessarily translate into effortless recruitment. The approximately 1.328 million job vacancies recorded in 2025, compared with 1.454 million registered job seeker profiles, reveal persistent mismatches between employer requirements and available workforce capabilities. These challenges are particularly evident in education, healthcare, engineering, technology, and specialized industrial occupations.

For employers, this reinforces the importance of moving beyond traditional recruitment approaches toward more targeted, skills-based hiring strategies.

Rising Salaries and Employee Expectations Are Reshaping Recruitment

One of the most significant recruitment trends in Kazakhstan is the growing importance of competitive compensation and employee retention.

With average monthly wages reaching approximately KZT 473,158 in the fourth quarter of 2025 and median monthly earnings standing at KZT 317,512 for 2025, salary expectations continue to influence hiring decisions across industries.

Nevertheless, inflation and regional wage disparities remain important considerations. Although nominal wages have increased, real wage growth has been considerably more modest, placing additional pressure on employers to provide compensation packages that reflect employees’ financial expectations.

Recruitment survey findings further demonstrate the importance of remuneration, with 54% of job changers identifying higher salaries as their primary motivation for seeking new employment. Meanwhile, 38% highlighted career development opportunities as an important consideration.

These findings suggest that successful recruitment and retention strategies in Kazakhstan must extend beyond salary increases alone.

Employers that combine competitive compensation with structured career progression, professional development, workplace flexibility, and positive organizational cultures will be better positioned to attract and retain qualified professionals.

Technology, Artificial Intelligence, and Digital Skills Will Drive Future Hiring

Kazakhstan’s expanding digital economy represents one of the country’s most promising areas for future recruitment and workforce development.

The rapid growth of software development, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data analytics, and digital services is creating new employment opportunities while increasing demand for specialized technical expertise.

Reported monthly salaries of approximately KZT 1.6 million for machine learning engineers demonstrate the substantial compensation premiums available to professionals possessing advanced technological skills.

At the same time, the country’s technology recruitment market faces an important structural challenge: the availability of job seekers does not always correspond with the qualifications employers require.

The reported ratio of 17 IT job seekers per advertised vacancy on the national labor exchange illustrates why employers must distinguish between general candidate availability and access to appropriately skilled professionals.

Government-supported initiatives, including Astana Hub, Tech Orda, and the national AI development strategy, are helping address these challenges by expanding digital education and professional training opportunities.

As Kazakhstan advances its technological ambitions, organizations that invest in employee reskilling, technical training, and digital recruitment capabilities will be better equipped to respond to changing workforce requirements.

Regional Talent Shortages Require More Strategic Workforce Planning

Another important finding from Kazakhstan’s recruitment statistics is the uneven distribution of employment opportunities and available talent across the country.

Major cities such as Almaty and Astana continue to function as important recruitment centers, attracting employers, skilled professionals, and international businesses.

Meanwhile, industrial regions such as Pavlodar experience significant hiring demand relative to registered candidate availability, while regions such as Turkestan face comparatively greater competition among job seekers.

These geographical differences demonstrate that Kazakhstan’s recruitment challenges cannot be addressed through a single nationwide hiring strategy.

Employers should increasingly consider regional salary benchmarking, relocation assistance, remote recruitment, vocational partnerships, and targeted talent development initiatives to improve access to qualified workers.

Recruitment agencies and HR technology platforms can also play an important role by connecting employers with candidates across different regions and improving labor market transparency.

Data-Driven Recruitment Will Become Increasingly Important

The statistics also highlight the growing influence of technology and analytics on Kazakhstan’s HR practices.

With more than 60% of surveyed companies reporting the use of artificial intelligence tools in HR-related or business processes, digital transformation is becoming an increasingly relevant component of recruitment operations.

AI-powered candidate sourcing, applicant tracking systems, recruitment analytics, automated screening, and workforce planning technologies offer opportunities to improve hiring efficiency and reduce administrative workloads.

However, technology alone cannot resolve every recruitment challenge.

Organizations must also prioritize accurate skills assessments, transparent hiring practices, positive candidate experiences, and effective employee engagement.

By combining data-driven recruitment tools with human expertise, employers can make better-informed hiring decisions while maintaining the personal relationships essential to successful talent acquisition.

What Employers and Recruiters Should Prioritize in 2026

Based on the recruitment statistics and employment trends examined throughout this article, several strategic priorities emerge for organizations operating in Kazakhstan.

• Develop competitive compensation strategies: Regularly benchmark salaries against industry standards, regional differences, and inflationary pressures to attract and retain qualified professionals.
• Invest in skills-based recruitment: Prioritize practical competencies, technical capabilities, and transferable skills rather than relying exclusively on academic qualifications.
• Strengthen employee retention: Offer career development opportunities, professional training, and attractive workplace conditions to reduce unnecessary turnover.
• Expand regional recruitment efforts: Explore talent pools beyond major metropolitan areas and consider workforce mobility initiatives where appropriate.
• Adopt recruitment technology: Use artificial intelligence, applicant tracking systems, and workforce analytics to improve recruitment efficiency and candidate matching.
• Build future-ready talent pipelines: Collaborate with universities, vocational institutions, and professional training providers to address emerging skills shortages.
• Monitor labor market developments: Regularly assess employment statistics, vacancy trends, salary movements, and changing employee expectations to refine hiring strategies.

These priorities can help employers build more resilient recruitment processes while responding to Kazakhstan’s evolving economic and workforce conditions.

Final Thoughts on Kazakhstan’s Recruitment Outlook in 2026 and Beyond

The future of recruitment in Kazakhstan will be shaped by the interaction of economic growth, technological innovation, workforce demographics, and changing employer and employee expectations.

Although Kazakhstan benefits from relatively stable unemployment, expanding formal employment, and substantial investment in digital transformation, important challenges remain. Skills mismatches, regional labor shortages, inflationary pressures, and competition for specialized professionals will continue to influence recruitment strategies.

At the same time, opportunities are emerging across technology, healthcare, education, engineering, financial services, logistics, and other sectors essential to the country’s economic development.

The increasing adoption of artificial intelligence, expansion of professional training initiatives, and growing emphasis on digital skills could further transform how organizations recruit, develop, and retain talent.

It is important to recognize that many of the statistics presented in this guide reflect 2024 and 2025 labor market observations, while some indicators represent forecasts, policy targets, or survey-based expectations for 2026 and beyond. Together, they provide a valuable foundation for understanding Kazakhstan’s current recruitment environment and its likely direction.

Ultimately, the 104 recruitment statistics, data points, and trends in Kazakhstan for 2026 demonstrate that successful hiring will increasingly depend on employers’ ability to adapt to changing workforce needs, offer competitive employment opportunities, and make informed decisions supported by reliable labor market intelligence.

For businesses, recruitment agencies, HR leaders, and job seekers, understanding Kazakhstan’s employment statistics is not simply about tracking labor market performance. It is about identifying opportunities, anticipating workforce challenges, and preparing for the next phase of the country’s economic and employment development.

Organizations that invest in talent development, embrace responsible recruitment innovation, and respond proactively to changing labor market conditions will be better positioned to succeed in Kazakhstan’s increasingly competitive hiring landscape throughout 2026 and beyond.

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People Also Ask

What are the latest recruitment statistics in Kazakhstan for 2026?

Kazakhstan entered 2026 with approximately 9.32 million employed people, a 4.6% unemployment rate, and 1.328 million job vacancies recorded in 2025. These figures highlight steady employment growth and continued demand for skilled professionals.

What is the unemployment rate in Kazakhstan in 2026?

Kazakhstan’s unemployment rate remained at approximately 4.6% for five consecutive quarters through Q3 2025. This relatively stable rate provides an important baseline for understanding labor market conditions in 2026.

How many people are employed in Kazakhstan?

Approximately 9.32 million people were employed in Kazakhstan in 2025, representing an increase of 106,000 workers compared with 2024. The country’s total labor force reached approximately 9.78 million by Q3 2025.

What is the employment rate in Kazakhstan?

Kazakhstan’s reported employment rate reached approximately 67% in 2025 under one international measure. National statistics recorded an employment rate of 64.8% among people aged 15 and above in Q3 2025.

How many job vacancies are available in Kazakhstan?

Approximately 1.328 million job vacancies were posted in Kazakhstan throughout 2025. Education, healthcare, industrial occupations, and skilled technical roles accounted for substantial recruitment activity.

Which industries are hiring the most workers in Kazakhstan?

Education, healthcare, manufacturing, construction, logistics, and technology are important hiring sectors. Education led reported vacancies in 2025 with approximately 380,600 openings, followed by significant demand across healthcare and industrial occupations.

What is the average salary in Kazakhstan in 2026?

Kazakhstan’s average monthly salary reached approximately KZT 473,158 in Q4 2025. Actual earnings vary considerably by industry, region, experience, and qualifications, making sector-specific salary benchmarking important in 2026.

What is the median salary in Kazakhstan?

The median monthly salary in Kazakhstan was approximately KZT 317,512 in 2025, representing an 11.1% nominal increase from 2024. However, inflation reduced real median wage growth to approximately 0.4%.

What is the minimum wage in Kazakhstan?

Kazakhstan’s minimum monthly wage was KZT 85,000 in 2025. Employers should verify the applicable 2026 statutory minimum wage before establishing salary structures or preparing employment contracts.

Which region in Kazakhstan has the highest salaries?

Atyrau recorded one of Kazakhstan’s highest average monthly salaries at approximately KZT 640,938, largely supported by the oil and gas industry. Turkestan recorded substantially lower average earnings of around KZT 304,325.

What are the highest-paying jobs in Kazakhstan?

Machine learning engineers, senior technology specialists, marine navigators, mining managers, and drilling professionals are among Kazakhstan’s highly paid occupations. Reported machine learning engineer salaries reached approximately KZT 1.6 million monthly.

Is Kazakhstan experiencing a labor shortage in 2026?

Kazakhstan faces skills shortages in several industries despite having more registered job seeker profiles than advertised vacancies in 2025. Regional mismatches and shortages of qualified specialists remain significant recruitment challenges.

What are the biggest recruitment challenges in Kazakhstan?

Major recruitment challenges include skills mismatches, regional talent shortages, rising salary expectations, employee retention, and competition for experienced professionals. Nearly half of surveyed employers identified shortages of qualified specialists as a major HR concern.

How many skilled workers are needed in Kazakhstan?

Approximately 75% of Kazakhstan’s 1.328 million job vacancies in 2025 required skilled labor, equivalent to around 999,000 openings. This highlights substantial employer demand for qualified technical, professional, and vocational workers.

What is the demand for blue-collar workers in Kazakhstan?

Blue-collar positions accounted for approximately 50% of reported job vacancies in Kazakhstan in 2025, representing around 665,500 openings. Construction, manufacturing, logistics, and industrial operations remain important employment sectors.

How competitive is the IT job market in Kazakhstan?

Kazakhstan’s IT job market combines strong demand for specialized expertise with competition among applicants. One national labor exchange comparison recorded approximately 17 IT job seekers per vacancy, highlighting skills-matching challenges.

What is the average IT salary in Kazakhstan?

Reported salaries in programming and consulting reached approximately KZT 1.2 million monthly by Q2 2025. Machine learning engineers earned around KZT 1.6 million, while data scientists earned approximately KZT 1.1 million.

Is artificial intelligence changing recruitment in Kazakhstan?

Yes. More than 60% of companies in one employer survey reported using AI tools in HR-related or business processes. AI is increasingly relevant to candidate screening, recruitment automation, workforce analytics, and talent management.

What are the most in-demand technology skills in Kazakhstan?

Artificial intelligence, machine learning, cybersecurity, software development, data science, and big data analytics are important emerging skills. Kazakhstan’s digital transformation initiatives are supporting demand for advanced technical expertise.

How is Astana Hub supporting employment in Kazakhstan?

Astana Hub had more than 1,500 member companies by 2025, including over 400 international firms. Its technology ecosystem, startup programs, and AI training initiatives support digital entrepreneurship and technology workforce development.

What percentage of employees want to change jobs in Kazakhstan?

Recruitment survey findings indicate that 12% of employees were actively searching for jobs, while 48% were open to attractive offers. These figures suggest substantial potential workforce mobility and employee retention challenges.

Why do employees change jobs in Kazakhstan?

Higher salaries are the leading motivation for job changes, cited by 54% of surveyed job changers. Career development opportunities were identified by 38%, emphasizing the importance of competitive pay and professional growth.

How long does it take to find a job in Kazakhstan?

Survey findings indicate that approximately 48% of job seekers found employment within one month in 2025, while more than 60% secured employment within three months. Actual job search durations depend on qualifications, location, and industry.

What are the most popular recruitment channels in Kazakhstan?

Online job boards are important recruitment channels, used by approximately 32% of surveyed specialists. Professional networks and personal contacts also play significant roles, particularly in managerial and executive recruitment.

Which cities offer the most job opportunities in Kazakhstan?

Almaty and Astana are major employment centers. In Q3 2025, Almaty recorded approximately 15,471 enterprise vacancies, while Astana reported 7,550, reflecting their importance as commercial and administrative hiring hubs.

What is the youth unemployment rate in Kazakhstan?

Kazakhstan’s unemployment rate among people aged 15–34 was approximately 3.1% in Q1 2025. Youth unemployment remained below the overall national unemployment rate, although employment opportunities differ across regions and qualifications.

How many women are employed in Kazakhstan?

Approximately 4.51 million women were employed in Kazakhstan in 2025, compared with 4.45 million in the previous year. Male employment reached approximately 4.81 million, indicating employment growth among both groups.

Are employers planning salary increases in Kazakhstan in 2026?

More than 70% of employers in a recruitment survey indicated plans to review salaries in 2026, with many considering adjustments of 10% to 20%. These intentions reflect inflationary pressures and competition for skilled professionals.

What is the future outlook for recruitment in Kazakhstan?

Kazakhstan’s recruitment outlook is influenced by economic diversification, digital transformation, and demand for skilled workers. Technology, healthcare, education, engineering, and industrial occupations are important areas for future workforce development.

How can employers improve recruitment strategies in Kazakhstan in 2026?

Employers can improve hiring outcomes through competitive salary benchmarking, skills-based recruitment, regional talent sourcing, employee development, and responsible AI adoption. Workforce analytics and stronger retention strategies can also support recruitment efficiency.

Sources

Bureau of National Statistics of Kazakhstan (BNS)

Antal Kazakhstan

The Astana Times

Qazinform

Times of Central Asia

Astana Hub

EconomyKZ

9cv9 Blog

GlobalCIO

NuCamp

Trading Economics

APCDA

EWS Limited

WageCentre

TechBehemoths