Kazakhstan Labor Migration Report Shows Most Citizens Working in Russia

The Ministry of Labor and Social Protection has released updated data on the number of Kazakh citizens working abroad. According to the ministry, 126,000 citizens are currently employed outside the country, which has a population of more than 20 million. The vast majority, over 80%, have found work in neighboring Russia. The figures were shared by First Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Protection Askarbek Yertayev during a briefing with journalists on the sidelines of a Senate meeting. Of the 126,000 citizens working abroad, 102,000 are employed in Russia, 15,000 in South Korea, and approximately 2,000 in the United Kingdom and European Union member states. Yertayev noted that Kazakhstan has yet to finalize bilateral labor agreements with all countries where its citizens are working. “In particular, an agreement with South Korea is still under discussion, we have been negotiating for two years. Talks were paused due to the domestic political situation there,” Yertayev said, referring to the ongoing standoff between South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and the country’s parliament. “Negotiations resumed this fall, and we plan to continue them, as 11,000 of the 15,000 Kazakh citizens in South Korea are working illegally. Measures must be taken, but the Korean side has several conditions, including that Kazakhstan address the issue of its undocumented migrants,” he added. Seoul has requested a “road map” from Kazakhstan to address the problem of illegal labor migration. The document is expected to include mechanisms to prevent undocumented employment. Yertayev expressed confidence that an agreement would be reached before the end of the year. He noted that legal employment in South Korea would allow Kazakh workers to access higher wages and social protections, including healthcare and insurance. “Currently, our citizens in South Korea who are working illegally cannot even send their earnings back home: banks refuse to process the transfers, forcing them to rely on informal channels, which often leads to fraud,” the deputy minister said. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, Kazakh authorities have also intensified domestic efforts to formalize the labor market by cracking down on employers who pay “gray” wages, off-the-books income that evades taxes and social contributions.