Kazakhstan's employed population tops 9.4 million

In the third quarter of 2026, Kazakhstan's unemployment rate, calculated under International Labour Organization methodology, stood at 4.5%.

According to a sample survey of employment, the country's labor force totaled 9,849,000 people. Of those, 9,403,400 were employed in various sectors of the economy.

Among those employed, 7,247,700 (77.1%) were salaried workers, while 2,155,700 (22.9%) were self-employed.

The employment rate for the population aged 15 and older stood at 64.3%.

Compared with the third quarter of 2025, the number of employed rose by 73,300, mainly due to salaried workers.

Most Kazakhstanis worked in trade (16.8%), education (13.3%), industry (12.6%) and agriculture (10.5%).

Youth unemployment among those aged 15 to 34 stood at 2.9%. The share of NEET youth (young people not in employment, education or training) was 5.6%.

As of the end of September 2026, the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection's employment entities officially registered 346,900 unemployed people. They accounted for 3.5% of the total labor force.

Under the methodology of the International Labour Organization, the unemployed are people without work who are actively seeking it and willing to start working.

Earlier, we reported on the professions facing the biggest labor shortages in Kazakhstan.