Kazakhstan's Ministry of Labor and Social Protection has updated the rules for organizing subsidized jobs. Now the main procedures — from employers submitting applications to directing citizens to vacancies and checking documents — are carried out through the Electronic Labor Exchange. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
Subsidized jobs are still organized by career centers based on employer applications. Eligible participants include commercial companies with private ownership, individual entrepreneurs, peasant and farm enterprises, social entrepreneurs, state institutions and their subordinate organizations, quasi-public sector entities, and non-governmental organizations.
All employers must meet common requirements: the organization must have been operating for more than 12 months, not be in bankruptcy proceedings, comply with legislation on countering extremism, and fulfill previously concluded contracts under employment assistance measures.
Subsidized jobs will not be created for employers already receiving budget funding under per-capita state order programs, infrastructure public procurement, or special social services. The ministry explained this is to avoid double financing of the same expenses from the budget.
The number of subsidized jobs depends on the employer category.
For non-governmental organizations in cities of republican significance, one to 10 participants are provided; in regions, one to five. NGOs must be registered in the official database of non-governmental organizations.
Commercial organizations, individual entrepreneurs, peasant farms, and social entrepreneurs can create one to five subsidized jobs. They must have no wage arrears, regularly make social payments over the past year, and employ participants from previous program periods on a permanent basis.
State bodies and quasi-public sector entities are also allowed one to five jobs.
A separate procedure is set for rural akimats and municipal enterprises. The number of subsidized jobs for them will depend on the village population and range from 2% to 5% of the total residents.
Selection of employers, referral of citizens to jobs, and document verification now take place electronically through the Electronic Labor Exchange. The ministry expects digitalization to reduce paper document flow, speed up application processing, and make the process more transparent.
Earlier, Kursiv reported that since the beginning of 2026, nearly 10,000 unemployed Kazakhstani citizens over 50 have found work under the "Silver Age" project. Under the program, the state partially subsidizes participants' salaries, and employers are obliged to provide them with permanent jobs after the subsidy period ends.