Kazakhstan will need approximately 3 million qualified specialists over the next three to five years, according to Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Protection of the Population Askar Biakhmetov. Speaking at a recent government meeting, Biakhmetov emphasized that this forecast should guide national strategies in education, vocational training, and workforce retraining.
Workforce Priorities
Data from the Ministry of Labor show that the highest demand (29%) will be for professionals in public services, including government administration, education, healthcare, and social security. This is followed by business services (21%), logistics and transport (16%), industry (13%), and construction and agriculture, each accounting for 7%.
“These data must be taken into account when approving professional standards, developing educational programs, allocating state education grants, and organizing retraining initiatives,” Biakhmetov said.
He noted the importance of prioritizing retraining programs, as automation and technological change continue to render many professions obsolete, while new sectors demand different competencies. Structural issues persist, including uncompetitive wages and regional imbalances in the labor force, particularly a labor surplus in the south and shortages in the north. Internal migration has also led to oversaturation in major urban centers, straining social and municipal infrastructure.
The Ministry also flagged informal employment as a major challenge. In 2024, an estimated 30% of the working-age population were employed without pension contributions. Moreover, about 30% of university graduates are working in fields unrelated to their studies.
“Often, graduates don’t study what they want due to low grant scores. As a result, they are trained in one field but work in another,” Biakhmetov explained.
By 2025, Kazakhstan’s economically active population is projected to reach 11.3 million, about 60% of the total population of 20.3 million. The unemployment rate currently stands at 4.6%. Looking ahead, the annual growth of the labor force is expected to hit 360,000 by 2035.
To address the evolving demands of the economy, the Ministry of Labor is developing an AI-based digital platform designed to identify skills gaps across enterprises and match individuals with relevant job vacancies or training programs.
Linking Investment to Job Creation
Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov underscored the need for both foreign and domestic investors to take greater responsibility for employment generation within the scope of active and planned investment projects. He stipulated that at least 30% of investment budgets should be allocated to wages.
“An Innovative Project Navigator has been developed to monitor employment trends and ensure investors meet their obligations. Currently, the system covers only large projects, but by September 1, data on all investment projects for 2025-2027 must be entered,” Bektenov said.
He also ordered that key performance indicators (KPIs) for regional and municipal leaders regarding employment expansion be introduced starting in 2026.
As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, 979,000 people were employed in Kazakhstan in 2024.
