One in Ten Kazakhstani Companies Struggle with Staff Shortage

As the National Chamber of Entrepreneurs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Atameken press service reports, one in ten companies in Kazakhstan struggle with hurdles when looking for staff.

«As the survey showed, in which 600,000 enterprises participated, the main problem is the lack of seasonal workers and mid-level specialists, 63,000 enterprises have a shortage of personnel,» states the chamber in its job market research.

Among the most sought-after specialists are tractor drivers, machine operators, drivers, waiters, sales representatives, welders, handymen, movers, cooks, tutors, bricklayers, and office managers. About 48,000 people are required for the positions of sellers, store supervisors, security guards, call center operators, couriers, car washers, maids, tire technicians, and even shepherds.

Kazakhstani companies currently need 148,500 men and women to work with. However, the inflexible education system isn’t able to help: in the Maktaaral district of the Turkestan region, education centers prepare 23 tractor-drivers, but businesses in the area need 2980 drivers. In contrast, in the Kazygurt district, the market requires only 12 tractor drivers, and 23 drivers are prepared by the education system.

The National Chamber of Entrepreneurs suggests changing this planning system for vocational education and training. First of all, the assessment of the level of staff shortage should be divided by region (where there are no longstanding investment projects), by industry and by district. Then a new plan for vocational education and training has to be prepared. Also, Atameken says it would be helpful to use a vocational training course more actively.