Foreign Workforce in Kazakhstan Reaches 14,000 as Quotas Expand

Kazakhstan has expanded the quota for attracting foreign specialists to 19,400 positions starting Aug. 2025, which represents 0.25% of the workforce, after the list of eligible seasonal professions was expanded.

As of Aug. 1, 14,130 foreign citizens are officially employed in Kazakhstan under work permits issued by local executive authorities, the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population press service reported on Aug. 26.

Among the issued permits, 549 were granted to top managers and their deputies, while 2,258 were allocated to heads of structural divisions. Most foreign employees fall into the specialist category (3,786) and the qualified worker category (904).

Some 2,889 foreigners are engaged in seasonal work, and 3,744 are working under corporate transfers.

Currently, 1,899 companies in Kazakhstan employ foreign workers, while more than 348,000 Kazakh citizens work alongside them, accounting for 96% of the total workforce.

The largest share of foreign employees works in construction, at 4,949, followed by agriculture, forestry, and fisheries – 2,930, mining and quarrying – 1,369, and manufacturing – 1,210.

China remains the leading source of foreign workers with 5,120 employees, followed by Uzbekistan – 2,478, Türkiye – 1,042, and India – 1,031.

To protect the domestic labor market, the ministry annually sets quotas for attracting foreign specialists. The 2025 quota was initially set at 14,800 positions or 0.2% of the national labor force, but was raised to 16,500 positions in March following increased demand from local authorities.

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