Author: Tatyana Gracheva
War-hit Ukrainian employers expand recruitment in South Asia
Ukrainian businesses are increasingly recruiting workers from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Nepal to fill the labor shortage brought on by Russia’s war, four Ukrainian labor and business organizations told the Kyiv Independent. Workers are mostly sought for seasonal work and entry-level positions in manufacturing, construction, logistics, and agriculture, they said. “The demand for international recruitment […]
Read moreFines for employers who do not use e-Sick Leave will be up to 500,000 dinars
The drafting of the Law on the Exchange of Data, Documents and Notifications in the Event of Temporary Incapacity for Work through the use of the software solution “e-Sick Leave – Employer” (e-bolovanje) has begun, the Office for Information Technologies and eGovernment announced. The deadline for submitting comments, proposals and suggestions is 11 September. As […]
Read moreNow Armenian citizens can stay in Kazakhstan beyond 90 days without visa
Armenian citizens will no longer need a visa to stay in Kazakhstan for more than 90 days—they will be able to obtain a temporary residence permit, Caliber.Az reports, citing the official Telegram channel of Kazakhstan’s Mazhilis. The 90-day limit for Kazakh and Armenian citizens staying in each other’s country remains unchanged. Visitors can stay up […]
Read moreGeorgia introduces new residency rules for foreign IT specialists
Following government approval of Resolution No. 389 on August 27, foreign IT professionals now have a new way to live and work in Georgia. The regulation creates conditions for specialists in the information technology sector to qualify for temporary residence permits. The government emphasizes that the initiative wants to strengthen Georgia’s position as a regional […]
Read moreWork as the main focus: what determines Ukrainian refugees’ choice of European countries?
For Ukrainians leaving the country due to the war, choosing a new place to live depends on a number of factors, but the ability to find work is increasingly playing a key role. Salaries, economic prospects and conditions for adaptation influence decisions no less than personal safety or proximity to family. Find out more about […]
Read moreForeign 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 […]
Read moreNo agreement on minimum wage
At the second session of the Socio-Economic Council (SES), no agreement was reached on the minimum wage for 2026, and the next meeting has been scheduled for 29 August, when negotiations will continue. Representatives of the Government of Serbia and employers stuck to their original positions, honorary president of the Employers’ Union, Nebojša Atanacković, confirmed […]
Read moreAgreement on minimum wage is not reached
As the second session of the Socio-Economic Council (SES) did not lead to any agreement on the minimum wage for 2026, the next meeting will take place on 29 August. In case of no agreement, the Government will make the decision on the minimum wage on 11 September. A 10.1 percent increase in the minimum […]
Read moreGeorgia’s unemployment rises to 14.3%
The preliminary data from Geostat revealed that Georgia’s unemployment rate reached 14.3% in the second quarter of 2025, up 0.6 percentage points from the same period last year. The increase was driven largely by a decline in women’s employment. Unemployment among men remained unchanged at 15.9%, while among women it rose from 10.9% last year […]
Read moreMinimum wage will be frozen by Kazakhstan in 2026 in spite of earlier promises
As Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Economy Serik Zhumangarin confirmed at a recent press conference, Kazakhstan will maintain its current minimum wage of 85,000 KZT per month (approximately $157) in 2026.
However, there is a contradiction between this announcement and earlier statements that Minister of Labor and Social Protection Svetlana Zhakupova had made in June. She indicated the intention of the government to raise the minimum wage from January 1, 2026. There was even a suggestion made by Finance Minister Madi Takiev to increase it to just over 90,000 KZT ($166). Nevertheless, Zhumangarin stated that they have scrapped the proposed adjustment.
He said that there are currently no plans to increase the minimum wage. As of today, it remains at 85,000 KZT, and there are no projects of increase at this time.
According to Zhumangarin, the government has allocated 800 billion KZT ($1.4 billion) in the 2026 budget to cover the costs of annual indexation of pensions and benefits to inflation. As Takiev added, they have made the decision to leave the wage unchanged while calculations had been made for a potential increase, “given the current situation”.
Last increase of the minimum wage took place in January 2024, from 70,000 KZT ($135 at the time) to its current level. There are calls for a broader review of the minimum wage, the minimum subsistence level, and the structure of the official food basket coming from some members of parliament.
During an interview, Zhumangarin recognized that he himself could not live on 85,000 KZT per month under current market conditions, but he also highlited the need of a cautious approach to the issue.
Also, the Ministry of Labor said that approximately 170,000 people in Kazakhstan currently earn the minimum wage, while another 160,000 earn around 100,000 KZT monthly. There are totally 9.3 million employed individuals in the country, as of the first quarter of 2025.
Nevertheless, Yelnur Beisenbayev, AMANAT parliamentary faction leader, criticized government statistics, particularly the official average salary figure of 423,000 KZT ($830).
As he remarked, three million people earn around 200,000 KZT in Kazakhstan, of whom 1.8 million live on the minimum wage of 85,000 KZT. Beisenbayev asked who earns 423,000. According to him, the government calculates the average wage in a wrong way – just summarizing the wages and dividing the total sum into the number of people.
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