At the end of May, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) published the latest data on migration mobility in Kazakhstan, according to an analytical note by Finprom.
The report provides information as of January 2024, covering not only labor migrants from Central Asian countries but also Kazakhs leaving for other countries in search of higher wages. Who are these people, and why do they go to work abroad?
The study conducted by migration experts dispels the common belief that Kazakh emigrants mainly seek to work in Europe. An analysis of statistical data on two groups of Kazakhs — those currently working abroad and those who have returned home — allows us to paint a portrait of a Kazakh emigrant.
The first group of studied emigrants consists of those currently living abroad: 10,500 people. Of these, 82% of Kazakhs work in Russia.
Turkey ranks second in the number of emigrants from Kazakhstan, followed by Germany in third place.
Two-thirds of the studied group are residents of the Kostanay region, who traveled to Russian cities for work. In the category of return migrants (6,000 people), the numbers partially correlate with the first group: 69.4% of those who returned home had gone to Russia for work, 12.6% had left for high-paying jobs in Uzbekistan, and 6.1% had gone to South Korea.
An important note:
The IOM’s Mobility Tracking Matrix is a study based on surveys of migrants themselves and data from non-governmental organizations. It allows for assessing the dynamics and nature of migration processes but not absolute quantitative data.
It is worth noting that the IOM’s conclusions about the proportional distribution of Kazakh emigrants by country of residence align with data from the Migration Committee of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population (MLSPP) of Kazakhstan. According to the state body, last year, 194,000 Kazakh citizens were in labor migration. Of these, 84% lived and worked in Russia, and only 9.3% were in European countries.
The reasons for this significant difference are not so much related to the geographical proximity of Russia but rather to the differences in the migration legislation of the European and Eurasian Economic Unions. Several other factors also play a role: visa-free regime, common labor market, knowledge of the Russian language, and the absence of difficulties with periodic border crossings. Meanwhile, the salaries offered by Russian employers are significantly lower than those in European countries, but more on that later.
To sign a work contract in any European country, a Kazakhstani citizen needs to overcome significantly more obstacles. They must first pay for visa processing, recruitment agency services, insurance, and travel. It is preferable but not mandatory to start learning the language of the destination country. However, judging by the statistics, these barriers are not insurmountable for some Kazakhs seeking good earnings abroad. For example, in the United Kingdom, according to the relevant committee, 5,000 Kazakhs are working.
This country indeed significantly increased the flow of immigrants from Central Asia in 2022-2023. This happened thanks to a special state program to support the country’s agricultural sector, where the UK authorities significantly increased the number of quotas for attracting foreigners to work on farms. According to the IOM, the number of seasonal workers from Kazakhstan in the UK increased by 87.6% to 5,000 people in 2023. In 2021, only about 400 Kazakhs arrived in the country.
We compared the working conditions and income levels offered by European and Russian employers. Based on information from legal online platforms and recruitment agencies in Kazakhstan, two large groups of vacancies in Russia can be highlighted for Kazakhs. The first involves working in various regions in skilled labor positions, with salaries ranging from 300,000 to 500,000 KZT depending on the complexity of the job. The second group consists of jobs in the distant northern regions of Russia, offering high salaries (about 1 million KZT), but with rotational work and in harsh climatic conditions. The costs for such employment are minimal: undergoing a medical examination and paying for tickets to the workplace.
In European countries, the proposed income can be higher even in the category of low-skilled labor. For example, working as a strawberry picker on a farm in the UK can earn between 737,000 and 1.3 million KZT per month (working from 8 to 12 hours a day). The costs for such employment are also significant. Recruitment agency services and expenses for a six-month Schengen visa will cost about 970,000 KZT. Transfer costs add another 200,000 to 270,000 KZT, depending on the country and season. Some overseas employment agencies promise that the employer will reimburse part of the expenses for document processing and airfare.
All the provided data on service prices were obtained by the editorial team from agencies officially registered in Kazakhstan and operating as organizations that help emigrants. This means that in the event of any unforeseen circumstances, the managers of these agencies are obliged to help resolve issues regarding payments and returning home.
However, on social networks and various online platforms, we also found many more favorable offers for employment abroad with free accommodation, meals, and transportation. However, even at first glance, the ads showed signs of unreliable companies — lack of information about the company, no website, no data about the manager, and partners in the destination countries. This is a vulnerability that Kazakhs fall prey to, giving money to fraudsters. There are many such stories.
IOM experts consider the employment stage for Kazakhs to be one of the barriers to developing safe labor emigration. At a roundtable on labor market development and migration in Kazakhstan in May this year, international organization experts noted that Kazakhs pay large sums for intermediary services when seeking employment in the UK. Sometimes the amounts are equal to several workers’ salaries.
According to IOM analysts, Kazakhs going to work abroad are people who want to pay off loans, close mortgages, and improve their financial situation through seasonal work abroad. According to the IOM Mobility Tracking Matrix, 46% of emigrants had these reasons for going abroad. In almost 26% of cases, respondents indicated that they had family problems that forced them to decide to emigrate. 19% said they went to another country to study, and another 6% went for medical treatment.
