Government adopts a program to boost employment

Today, July 11, Kazakhstan’s Government has adopted a program to boost employment before 2020. According to the Labour Minister Ms. Gulshara Abdykalikova, the Program will cover a total of 1.5 million people by 2015. The poverty level is to be brought down to 6%, with unemployment standing at 5.5%. In the current year $274 million is earmarked out of the central budget to finance the program. State support will be rendered to about 100 000 people. According to the Minister, the program will be launched as early as this month. “The money will go to finance professional training first of all (…) The program will reach out to rural areas as well. A second direction will be providing of smaller loans of up to $20 000”, the Minister emphasized. According to her, the program will offer trainings in professions demanded within the state programs of industrial development. Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev had instructed the Government to come up with a new employment program in February 2011.