Kazakhstan tightens rules for hiring foreign workers

Kazakhstan sets an annual quota for hiring foreign workers / Photo: Shutterstock, photo editor: Arthur Aleskerov

Kazakhstan is set to further reduce the number of foreign workers allowed in the country. By 2025, the quota for hiring migrant workers will be reduced to 3%. However, this restriction does not apply to citizens of Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) countries, who are not required to obtain a work permit.

A draft order from Minister of Labor and Social Protection Svetlana Zhakupova has been published on the Legalacts.egov.kz portal. The document outlines quotas for 2025 as follows:

Permits issued by local executive bodies to employers will amount to 0.2% of the labor force.
The quota for hiring labor immigrants will be 3%.

«The adoption of this draft regulation will not result in negative socio-economic or legal consequences,» the document stated.

For 2024, Kazakhstan’s quota for foreign specialists is set at 0.23%, allowing 22,000 workers, a reduction of 200 compared to 2023. The quota for labor immigrants working in households is set at 3.1%.