At the Government session chaired by Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Culture and Information of Kazakhstan Aida Balaeva, issues of citizen employment and targeted work with NEET youth were discussed.

Reports on the current situation were delivered by representatives of relevant state bodies and regional akimats. In 2025, the number of hired employees reached 7.2 million, self-employed — 2.1 million, while over 333,000 people seeking work were registered with employment centers.

According to the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population, employment maps are approved annually in the regions. For 2026, the employment of more than 544,000 people is planned, of whom 140,800 have already been employed to date.

A pool of categories C, D, and E has been formed for targeted work, of which more than 45,000 people have not yet been covered by support measures — the largest number is in Almaty, Mangystau, and Turkistan regions.

In addition, the meeting noted that the Ministry of Science and Higher Education conducted a comprehensive analysis of the current labor market in all regions of the country for the first time. As part of the study, 73,000 enterprises were surveyed, which made it possible to systematically identify the mismatch between labor supply and economic needs. It was established that demand is shifting toward technology and artificial intelligence, while the greatest need remains for specialists with technical and vocational education, primarily college graduates.

In this regard, Aida Balaeva emphasized the need for coordinated work by all state bodies to build an effective system for training personnel at higher education institutions and colleges. The second key area is targeted work with unemployed citizens. It was noted that it is important to see specific people behind the statistics and build individual employment trajectories.

The second issue discussed was work with NEET youth. According to the Ministry of Culture and Information, a gradual decrease in the share of NEET youth has been observed over the past three years. The national average for 2025 stands at 6%, which is 1.3 percentage points lower than in 2023.

According to the ministry, targeted work is being carried out to reduce the number of this category. The main focus is on employment support measures — profiling, job placement, involvement in the “Youth Practice” program, public and social work programs, as well as training in in-demand professional skills. At the same time, personalized support for young people through career centers is being strengthened.

#Employment #Ministry of Culture #Regions

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