How many foreigners officially work in Kazakhstan

Tengrinews.kz – As of August 1, 2025, more than 14,000 citizens from both near and far abroad have been employed in Kazakhstan. The Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population provided details on their origins and occupations.

According to the Ministry, the majority of foreign workers are specialists (3,786 people) and skilled workers (904 people). Another 2,889 foreigners were hired for seasonal work, while 3,744 arrived through corporate transfers. The remaining workers are managers, their deputies, and heads of structural divisions.

Foreigners are employed in sectors such as construction (4,949 people), agriculture, forestry, and fisheries (2,930 people), mining and quarrying (1,369 people), and manufacturing (1,210 people).

Most labor migrants came to Kazakhstan from China (5,120 people), Uzbekistan (2,478), Turkey (1,042), and India (1,031).

To protect the domestic labor market, the ministry annually sets and allocates quotas for attracting foreign specialists.

“In 2025, the total quota was set at 0.2 percent of the national workforce, or 14,800 positions. Since March of this year, due to applications from local executive bodies, the quota was increased by ministerial order to 16,500 positions. From August of this year, in connection with the expansion of the list of professions allowing seasonal foreign employment, the total quota has been set at 0.25 percent of the national workforce, or 19,400 positions,” the Ministry of Labor reported.