Kazakhstan reshapes its labour force to support economic growth

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ABONE OL

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Kazakhstan is concluding a year dedicated to honouring working professions. The theme for 2025 was officially declared by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in his State of the Nation address in September 2024. Tokayev emphasised that the initiative would promote a strong work ethic and professionalism, placing labour skills at the centre of national policy.

“The values of hard work and professionalism have always remained at the forefront of our society. It is precisely through skilled professionals that a new quality of our nation is being shaped. Therefore, we will continue to take consistent measures to enhance the status of working people,” Tokayev said.

Kazakhstan aims to foster a new labour culture by promoting respect for working professions among young people, strengthening professional dynasties and boosting productivity across the economy.

Blue-collar workers remain essential to the country’s export-driven economy, built on oil, gas, metals and agriculture. One of the key challenges facing Kazakhstan’s labour market is a persistent mismatch between labour supply and demand.

As production capacity expands, the National Workforce Development Centre forecasts a 12% labour shortfall by 2030, particularly in technical and service occupations. Demand is highest for truck and bus drivers, plumbers, pipeliners, welders and foremen.

According to the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Population, more than half of the country’s 3.3 million blue-collar workers are middle-aged. With around a third of Kazakhstan’s population currently under the age of 15, attention is increasingly turning to how a new generation of workers can help fill emerging workforce gaps.

Labour shortages in working professions could also drive wages higher, making skilled trades more attractive to younger people.

Improving youth employability

In his State of the Nation address, President Tokayev highlighted the need to reform Kazakhstan’s technical and vocational education system.

The country is shifting technical and vocational programmes to a dual-learning model, combining classroom study with on-the-job training. More than 100,000 students are now training at 18,000 enterprises nationwide. Over 4,000 companies partner with more than 600 colleges, providing internships, mentorship and equipment upgrades.

At the same time, Kazakhstan is opening its vocational education system to international standards. More than 60 colleges now partner with institutions in 30 countries. Foreign management expertise is being introduced, academic mobility is expanding, and nine technical and vocational colleges have secured international accreditation.

Kazakhstan is also working within the European Qualifications Framework, linking national standards to a common European benchmark. In parallel, the country is cooperating with the European Training Foundation under the EU’s Dialogue and Action for Resourceful Youth in Central Asia initiative. Aimed at improving youth employability, vocational training and skills systems, the programme supports post-pandemic recovery in the region and runs from 2022 to 2027, focusing on skills development, qualifications reform and dialogue between stakeholders to create more inclusive opportunities for young people.

Efforts to transform the national vocational education and training system are beginning to show results. In 2025, 70% of state-funded study places under the national education order were allocated to technical and vocational education to meet labour market demand, according to the Ministry of Labour.

Enterprises and akimats, or local administrations, jointly assess workforce needs with technical colleges and offer guaranteed employment for graduates. A total of 43,000 students have been admitted under this scheme, with around 8,000 having already completed their training and secured jobs.

Raising the prestige of working professions from an early age

The government aims to raise the status of working professions among young people by reforming the school education system.

Career guidance classes currently cover pupils from grades 6 to 11, with plans to expand them to all year groups under the newly developed national early career guidance programme, Maman (“Specialist”).

School graduates “need to be able to choose the right profession and not be afraid of fields such as manufacturing or mining. They should enter these sectors with confidence, knowing there is modern equipment, strong workplace safety and decent wages,” said Askarbek Yertaev, First Vice-Minister of Labour and Social Protection of the Population.

The government is also promoting working professions among young people by organising career forums and professional festivals for school students.

New labour culture and national skills contests

To foster a new labour culture among young people, the government organises flagship, multi-tier skills competitions nationwide each year, spanning multiple sectors. One of them is the national Enbek Zholy contest, or The Labour Path, which runs at both regional and national levels across three main categories: Best Labour Dynasty, Mentor of the Working Youth, and Best Young Production Worker. More than 500 young people applied to take part in the contest in 2025.

Candidates are initially selected by regional mayoral offices, with final winners chosen by an award commission comprising representatives from the Ministry of Labour, members of parliament and the National Chamber of Entrepreneurs, among others.

The 2025 edition of the contest revealed that nominees in the Best Mentor category had collectively passed on their skills and knowledge to more than 1,200 young professionals across sectors including agriculture, metallurgy, mining, education, telecommunications and industry.

At the same time, the combined work experience of families nominated in the Best Labour Dynasty category reached nearly 4,000 years, with some holding national records.

Altogether, the Derbissov family dynasty of hereditary railway workers spans more than 400 years. “It began with our great-grandfather Derbes, followed by my grandfather, Anuar Derbissov. My father then followed in their footsteps — and so did I,” said Tahir Derbissov.

The state also recognised outstanding young professionals in the Best Production Worker category, spanning fields from aviation and energy to agriculture and education.

Fresh graduates of technical colleges are taking note. “Young workers see their peers being recognised for their achievements in the workplace and want to follow in their footsteps,” said Zhansaya Abdullayeva, a vocational training instructor at Abylaikhan Higher College.

International prestige

The government also benchmarks the quality of professional training through participation in international-level skills competitions.

In 2025, Kazakhstan’s national team won seven Medallions for Excellence at the EuroSkills Herning championship. By comparison, the team earned six Medallions for Excellence at WorldSkills 2024 in Lyon. According to the Ministry of Labour, the results confirm a steady improvement in the quality of vocational training.

During the Year of Working Professions, Kazakhstan also launched the TurkicSkills movement, bringing together Turkic-speaking countries to compete in modern skills and competencies. Kazakhstan hosted the first TurkicSkills championship in Aktau in October 2025. The international competition brought together more than 100 young professionals, alongside nearly 80 qualified experts from Turkey, Azerbaijan, Hungary, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.

“The goal is to strengthen cooperation between colleges across Turkic-speaking countries and improve the quality, prospects and training of working qualifications,” said Sanzhar Tatibekov, President of Talap Non-Profit JSC. The organisation is also Kazakhstan’s designated national operator of WorldSkills, the global non-profit movement and the world’s largest skills competition.

The WorldSkills Kazakhstan championship was held in Astana in May 2025, bringing together more than 800 technical college students from across the country. Competitors were tested in 45 skill categories, resulting in 53 gold, 55 silver and 59 bronze medals. The winners went on to form the national team, which will represent Kazakhstan at the WorldSkills International championship in China in 2026.

After reviewing Kazakhstan’s progress, “representatives of WorldSkills International concluded that the country has all the prerequisites to host future international WorldSkills events and even European-level championships,” Tatibekov added.

Social dialogue and housing support

To incentivise young people to enter blue-collar occupations, the government is helping workers in industry, energy, transport, agriculture and the water sector buy homes on favourable terms. In 2025, Otbasy Bank — formerly the country’s Housing Construction Savings Bank — launched a preferential mortgage programme, Nauryz Worker. Borrowers can access loans at interest rates of 7–9%, with a down payment of 10% for new housing and 20% for properties on the secondary market.

Kazakhstan is also strengthening mechanisms for social dialogue. One independent body promoting social partnership and the adoption of best practices, including those of the International Labour Organization, is the Paryz National Confederation of Employers.

Together with the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, the confederation “discusses a range of important issues to ensure benefits for all three parties. Recently, this platform has been actively used to prevent conflicts, labour disputes, strikes and similar situations,” said Zhumabek Zhanykulov, Chair of the Paryz National Confederation of Employers.

The confederation represents nearly 60% of the economy and works closely with trade union committees in almost every region. Its agenda spans a wide range of issues, from insurance and pension packages to labour legislation submitted for parliamentary consideration.

As Kazakhstan seeks to boost GDP growth, it is fostering a new labour culture rooted in strong work ethics, respect for professional dynasties and skills development among its growing youth population. With production capacity expanding, the country aims to draw more school leavers into blue-collar professions to help close emerging workforce gaps.