On average, an hour of work in Kazakhstan is worth 2,500 tenge (about $5.5). However, wages vary considerably across the country, exceeding 3,000 tenge per hour in some regions while falling to as little as 1,700 tenge in others.
Kazakhstan’s Bureau of National Statistics has released the findings of its annual survey on the distribution of employees by accrued wages, conducted each April.
Among other indicators, the survey provides data on average hourly wages. Nationwide, the figure stands at 2,500 tenge, equivalent to approximately 20,000 tenge ($44) for an eight-hour workday. Earnings also vary by occupational category: managers and civil servants earn an average of 4,400 tenge per hour, professionals earn 2,700 tenge, and manual workers earn 2,400 tenge.
Read also: Millennials earn the highest salaries, Zoomers earn the lowest in Kazakhstan.
Which sectors offer the highest pay?
Employees in the financial and insurance sectors earn the highest hourly wages, averaging 5,820 tenge (46,500 tenge per workday). The information and communications sector ranks second, at 4,820 tenge per hour (38,500 tenge per day).
In industry, the average hourly wage is 3,500 tenge (28,300 tenge per day). Within the sector, mining pays more, at 4,700 tenge per hour (37,600 tenge per day), while manufacturing averages 3,300 tenge (26,500 tenge per day).
Employees in professional, research and technical services earn an average of 3,300 tenge per hour (26,700 tenge per day). In transportation and warehousing, as well as construction, the figure is approximately 3,150 tenge (25,300 tenge per day).
Regions with the highest wages
Unsurprisingly, the highest hourly wages are recorded in Kazakhstan’s two largest cities. Employees in Almaty earn an average of 3,470 tenge per hour (27,800 tenge per day), compared with 3,300 tenge (26,000 tenge per day) in Astana.
Read also: Wealth gap exposed: How much more wealthy Kazakhs earn than the poor.
The Mangystau and Ulytau regions rank next, with average hourly wages of 3,188 tenge and 3,186 tenge, respectively. The Atyrau region rounds out the top five, at 3,100 tenge per hour.
At the other end of the scale, the lowest hourly wages are reported in the Zhetysu (1,850 tenge), North Kazakhstan (1,800 tenge) and Turkistan regions (1,770 tenge). These rates amount to approximately 14,000 tenge for an eight-hour workday.
Regional differences are also evident across occupational categories. Among managers and civil servants, the highest hourly earnings are recorded in Almaty (6,800 tenge, or 54,000 tenge per day), the Atyrau region (6,000 tenge) and Astana (5,500 tenge).
Administrative staff earn between 2,500 and 2,700 tenge per hour in Almaty, Astana and the Mangystau region. Agricultural workers receive the highest hourly wages in the East Kazakhstan (2,200 tenge), Abay (2,100 tenge) and North Kazakhstan regions (2,000 tenge).
Among manual workers, the highest hourly wages are found in the country’s oil-producing and mining regions: Mangystau (4,200 tenge), Ulytau (3,600 tenge) and Atyrau (2,800 tenge).
