Ministry of Agriculture: Over 6,000 New Jobs to Be Created in Kazakhstan’s Agro-Industrial Sector in 2025

Kazakhstan continues its large-scale efforts to boost employment in the agricultural sector. According to Vice Minister of Agriculture Amangali Berdalin, more than 6,000 new jobs are expected to be created in 2025 through investment projects, with over 23,000 jobs planned by 2027.

Currently, Kazakhstan’s agro-industrial complex includes around 285,500 producers, collectively employing approximately one million people. However, there remains a shortage of labor—about 6,500 open positions, more than 3,500 of which require qualified specialists.

According to the Vice Minister, a key focus of agricultural policy is the development of organized farming enterprises using modern technologies. This approach has already yielded positive results: by the end of 2024, labor productivity in agriculture reached nearly 5 million tenge per employee, marking a 16% increase over the previous year. This growth trend continued in the first quarter of 2025, reaching a 10.6% rise.
However, higher efficiency also leads to a reduced demand for permanent labor. Another contributing factor is the seasonality of field work, which causes imbalances in labor distribution throughout the year.

To address these issues, the Ministry of Agriculture is implementing measures to create new jobs and transition self-employed individuals into organized farms. One example is the “Auyil Amanaty” program, which has provided over 17,000 microloans totaling 115 billion tenge. These funds have helped create around 20,000 rural jobs.

In 2025, the government plans to launch 285 investment projects totaling 616 billion tenge, which will create 6,300 jobs, both permanent and seasonal. Over the longer term (through 2027), 683 projects are planned, attracting 3.4 trillion tenge in investment and creating about 23,000 new jobs.

Simultaneously, the government is strengthening the human capital of the sector. Each year, about 4,000 educational grants are allocated for agricultural specialties. For applicants from rural areas, the rural quota has been increased from 30% to 35% of the total state educational order. Graduates who study under this quota must work in rural areas for at least three years after graduation. The “With a Diploma to the Village” program also offers social support for young professionals in the agricultural sector.

The Ministry is also working to involve agricultural producers in year-round employment. According to its analysis, farms with land holdings between 10,000 and 50,000 hectares can provide jobs both during the field season and the off-season by combining crop and livestock production. Regional authorities have identified 115 such land users, who can potentially create up to 15,000 jobs.

These comprehensive measures aim not only to modernize agricultural production but also to ensure the sustainable development of rural areas through employment. In the coming years, the agro-industrial sector is expected to become one of the country’s key drivers of job creation, especially for young people and rural residents.