More Than a Third of Migrant Workers in Kazakhstan Are Chinese Citizens
More than 35% of all foreign nationals officially working in Kazakhstan are Chinese citizens, according to data published by the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
As of December 1, 2025, a total of 14,103 foreign citizens were employed in Kazakhstan under permits issued by local executive authorities.
The largest group of labor migrants comprises Chinese nationals, 5,604 individuals, representing over 35% of the total. They are followed by citizens of Uzbekistan (2,110 people, about 15%), Turkey (1,036 people, over 7%), and India (943 people, more than 6%). Migrants from other countries make up roughly 35% of the foreign labor force, a proportion nearly equal to that of China.
In 2025, the structure of permits for foreign labor included 537 issued to managers and their deputies (first category), and 2,244 to heads of structural divisions (second category). Most foreign workers fell into the third and fourth categories, specialists (3,784 people) and skilled workers (1,271 people). Additionally, 2,299 permits were granted for seasonal work, and 3,970 were issued as part of corporate transfers.
The ministry reported that 1,817 employers in Kazakhstan currently utilize foreign labor. These companies also employ more than 334,000 Kazakhstani citizens, who make up about 96% of their total workforce.
By sector, the highest number of foreign workers are employed in construction, 4,993 people, just over 35%. Other major sectors include agriculture, forestry, and fisheries (2,316 workers, 16.5%), mining and quarrying (1,235 workers, about 9%), and manufacturing (1,155 workers, approximately 8%).
To safeguard the domestic labor market, Kazakhstan sets an annual quota for the employment of foreign workers. In 2025, the initial quota was 0.2% of the workforce, or 14,800 permits. This figure was raised to 16,500 in March at the request of regional authorities.
In August, the quota was increased further to 0.25% or 19,400 permits, following the expansion of the list of professions eligible for seasonal foreign workers. It was later revised down to 16,700 permits, based on updated regional needs.
As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, more than 80,000 Russian citizens received residence permits to work in Kazakhstan between January 2023 and September 2024.
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