Kazakhstan's top employment regions revealed
Kazakhstan's labor market showed positive dynamics in 2025, with the total employed population rising to 9.32 million people – an increase of 106,000 compared to 2024, Qazinform News Agency reports.
Growth was observed among both men (4.81 million, up from 4.76 million) and women (4.51 million, up from 4.45 million). Urban areas accounted for 5.91 million employed residents (a year-on-year increase of 161,000), while rural areas saw a slight decline (from 3.47 million to 3.41 million).
The lion's share of the labor market consists of salaried employees, totaling 7.17 million people (up from 7.02 million in 2024). Meanwhile, the number of self-employed individuals saw a slight decrease to 2.15 million from 2.20 million a year earlier.
The total number of informally employed residents dropped significantly in 2025 to 942,000, down from 1.11 million in 2024. The primary shares of informal workers remain in agriculture (389,000) and trade (170,000), indicating a gradual shift of the workforce into the formal economy.
The largest employment sector remains wholesale and retail trade and automobile repair, with 1.56 million workers (up from 1.53 million a year earlier). Education employs 1.23 million people, followed by industry at 1.16 million. Agriculture saw a slight downturn to 986,000 workers.
The number of employees with higher or postgraduate education increased to 4.37 million, while those with technical and vocational training rose to 4.44 million. In terms of age groups, the 35–44 category leads with 2.64 million workers, while youth aged 16–24 account for 1.08 million.
Almaty (1.12 million), the Turkistan region (831,000), and Astana (765,000) remain the leaders in terms of total employed residents. The lowest employment level was recorded in the Ulytau region (95,500). In most major cities and regions, there was an upward trend in the employed populations compared to 2024.
A comparison of 2024 and 2025 data shows a 1.1% increase in total employment and a 15% reduction in informal labor. Salaried and highly educated employees have become the primary drivers of the country's labor market.
As Qazinform reported in February, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev ordered improvements in the quality of employment and the pension system.
