Kazakhstan Labor Ministry to retain unemployment at 5 percent by 2020

Kazakhstan Ministry of Labor and Social Protection plans to retain unemployment at 5-percent level annually by 2020, Tengrinews.kz reports citing Minister of Labor Serik Abdenov. “We expect to retain unemployment level at 5 percent a year until 2020 and lower the insecurity by 0.5 percent annually, provide employment of discharged employees, increase the share of self-employed citizens in the program by 30 percent annually,” Abdenov said in the Majilis presenting the draft Employment Roadmap-2020 to the deputies of the social and cultural development commission. The Ministry has made calculations and, according to them, it is necessary to annually ensure employment of 508 thousand Kazakhstan citizens to retain unemployment at 5 percent, Abdenov said. According to him, oblast Akims (Governors) will report on creation of jobs annually at the meeting of the inter-authority commission chaired by Prime-Minister, while heads of the central state authorities and the Labor Ministry will submit reports on labor market monitoring. By Baubek Konyrov