Minister of Labor and Social Protection of the Population Askarbek Yertayev reported at the Government session on measures to ensure employment of schoolchildren and students.

He noted that the number of children aged 14 to 18 who are allowed to engage in labor activity amounts to 1.7 million young people. According to the data of the ministry’s information systems, as of today, 5.3 thousand students are covered by employment.

“The largest number are employed in the spheres of trade, entertainment and recreation services, as well as food service — that is, the areas where teenagers most often gain their first work experience. In terms of professions, these are landscaping workers, couriers, waiters, sales consultants, cook assistants, animators, etc.,” Askarbek Yertayev clarified.

Overall, among children aged 14 to 18, the largest number is recorded in the southern macroregion — Turkistan, Almaty, and Zhambyl regions, as well as in the cities of Almaty, Astana, and Shymkent.

The highest employment of students is observed in megacities. A number of measures are being implemented to ensure employment and career guidance for students:

On the Electronic Labor Exchange platform — enbek.kz, a special section “My Summer Holidays” was launched last year. This gives students from the age of 14 the opportunity to register on the platform, create a personal account, post resumes, and independently search for suitable vacancies. At the same time, for students under 16, registration and creation of a personal account is carried out by legal representatives.

The platform ensures official and safe job search and the formation of mandatory employment contracts. Through the “My Summer Holidays” platform, 1,024 students have been employed since the beginning of 2026, and 4,552 were employed in 2025.

Overall, since last year, more than 8.5 thousand young citizens have been covered by active measures. A significant part of the students are employed in public works, since no education is required for participation. This year, employment will be ensured after the completion of the academic process.

Online courses on Skills.Enbek.kz are available to students on a free and paid basis. The courses are presented in various sectors and help acquire new skills. As part of the Year of Working Professions, since last year, more than 500 thousand students have learned job search skills on Skills.Enbek.kz, including on Enbek.kz, and proper resume writing.

The “Mansap Kompasy” platform has been implemented to help choose a suitable career path. The platform allows checking career interests through career guidance tests and obtaining information on in-demand professions, choosing an educational institution, familiarizing oneself with the conditions of the chosen profession, etc. More than 136 thousand children have undergone career guidance testing.

Another key area is the protection of children’s labor rights. To date, the protection of the rights of underage workers is ensured at the legislative level. This includes restrictions on the working hours of children, a ban on night work and dangerous working conditions, and parental consent for children’s labor.

From October last year to April this year, a study was conducted on the employment of persons under 18 years of age in the labor market. The survey covered about 100 thousand respondents among children and their parents. The main motivation for students’ employment is earning pocket money and helping parents.

To strengthen the protection of labor rights of minors, an interdepartmental Action Plan is being implemented since the beginning of this year, within which legislative amendments to the Labor Code and the Law “On Compulsory Insurance of an Employee against Accidents at Work” are being developed. The amendments provide for:

• Increasing the responsibility of employers for ensuring safe working conditions for minors, including compulsory accident insurance;
• Securing the rights of minors to receive insurance protection;
• Normative definition of permissible and impermissible forms of employment for minors, taking into account age, the nature of the work performed, and safety requirements.

It should be noted that the proposed changes comply with international standards in the field of protecting the labor rights of minors, enshrined in ILO Convention No. 182 on the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour.

Along with legislative changes, control measures will be strengthened:

• Monitoring of the employment of minors will be carried out in digital format based on the Labor Risk Map at all enterprises of the republic.
• Control over informal employment in sectors with increased risks will be strengthened.
• At the same time, systematic information and awareness-raising work will be organized among parents about age restrictions, labor rights, and guarantees for minors.

“The main task is to bring the employment of minors out of the informal sphere and ensure a unified approach to its regulation, monitoring, and prevention of violations. Summer employment of adolescents is not only an opportunity to earn their first money. It is early career guidance, the formation of labor skills, and the first contact with the labor market,” Askarbek Yertayev explained.

It was noted that the key priority is for this experience to be official, safe, and protected. Therefore, work will continue jointly with state bodies and akimats to strengthen control and prevent violations of the labor rights of minors.

#Employment #Government session #Social Security

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