The country is still in need of highly-qualified professionals so if you have good qualifications and experience you should find it fairly easy to find employment. Unemployment currently stands at around 5%, which is lower than the thirty year average and much lower than many countries in Europe.
Most job opportunities in Kazakhstan are centered in the major cities, like Astana or Almaty. The average work day is quite similar to that in most Western countries, with employees working fairly long hours, travelling for jobs and having to sort through a lot of bureaucracy and admin.
To work in Kazakhstan, you’ll need to obtain a work permit which is usually organized by your employer. It is worth taking note that there are limited number of work permits released each year so it’s worth checking your Kazakhstan embassy website for further advice.
Qualifications and skills
If you are looking to find work in Kazakhstan it is usually essential that you have a high level of Russian, as it is the language of business and very widely spoken. The native language of Kazakh is also becoming more widely spoken in the workplace so having knowledge of both languages will prove highly useful. Many Kazakhs are keen to learn English so there are plenty of opportunities for language exchanges but you will find it difficult to find work where the main language spoken is English; except for teaching of course.
Kazakhstan is seen as the land of opportunity for many expats, having large reserves of precious metals, minerals and fossil fuels which draw in large numbers of foreigners each year looking to find their fortunes. Many multinational companies do business here and if you have marketable skills (basically anything to do with oil, finance or construction) you will probably find it fairly straightforward to find work.
It’s also fairly easy to find work as an English teacher or tutor if English is your native language and/or you have a degree in it. Most teaching positions are well paid and teachers are well looked after and respected. It’s difficult to get a work visa if you go down this route, however, so you may need to look into getting a residence permit or a student visa instead.
You can also earn good money working as an au pair or a nanny, especially if you speak good English. There also opportunities in the tourism and hospitality industry, but these tend to not be as well paid and locals are often favoured for the positions over expats.