In the fourth quarter of 2025, the total number of employed people in Kazakhstan reached 9.3 million, increasing by 110,000 compared to the same period of the previous year. The growth was primarily driven by wage employment, which accounted for 77% (7.2 million people), while the self-employed represented 23% (2.1 million).

According to the Bureau of National Statistics, the retail sector remains the country’s largest employer, accounting for 17% of total employment, or more than 1.57 million people. Retail thus retains its position as the key segment of the labor market and the largest employment sector in the national economy.

Education ranks second in terms of employment with 13.2% (approximately 1.22 million people). Industry accounts for 12.5% of the economically active population, while agriculture represents 10.3%.
The transport and logistics sector, including warehousing, employs 7.2% of the workforce, construction accounts for 6.8%, and healthcare for 6.6%.

The employment structure reflects a sustained concentration of labor resources in consumer-driven and social sectors. For the market, this signals the significant role of retail as a driver of business activity and domestic demand, as well as the continued structural weight of the social sector within the economy.