The share of Kazakhstan's population below the national poverty line fell from 18.2% in 2006 to 4.9% in 2025 — nearly fourfold. These figures are cited in the World Bank's October Poverty & Equity Brief. Experts named growth in labor incomes as the main factor behind the reduction in poverty. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.

Over this period, the share of residents with incomes above the national poverty line increased from 81.8% to 95.1%.

By the international criterion — incomes below $8.30 per day at purchasing power parity — the poverty rate fell from 55.7% in 2006 to 13.8% in 2024. The average annual rate of reduction was about 7.5%. This indicator is used for international comparisons and differs from the national poverty line.

Rising earnings contributed to poverty reduction in all regions of the country. The Gini index, which measures income inequality, fell from 30.2 to 29 points in 2024. According to the World Bank's assessment, Kazakhstan is among the countries with the lowest levels of inequality by this indicator.

From January 1, 2027, Kazakhstan plans to raise the minimum wage from 85,000 to 110,000 tenge, or by 29.4%. This instruction was given by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. The increase is expected to affect almost 1.8 million people, including more than 370,000 public sector workers.

About 9.4 million people are employed in Kazakhstan's economy, and the unemployment rate stands at 4.5%. Over the past year, the number of hired workers increased by almost 114,000.

One measure to expand employment should be the "Narodnaya Stroyka" (People's Construction) program announced by the president. By the end of 2029, about 6.5 trillion tenge from the National Fund is planned to be allocated to the construction and modernization of infrastructure.

The creation of about 100,000 jobs is expected. Orders for construction materials, equipment and services should also support employment in related industries.

According to forecasts, the economy will need 2.9 million workers by 2035. The calculations include both the creation of new jobs and the replacement of departing personnel. About 1.8 million people will be needed for blue-collar professions.

The Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population intends to expand the list of in-demand professions from 51 to 174. It plans to include specialties in engineering, construction, industry, biotechnology, green and nuclear energy.

By the end of 2026, professional standards are expected to cover more than 600 blue-collar professions. The requirements will take into account digital skills, work with artificial intelligence, data analysis and cybersecurity.

In parallel, a digital employment support system is being developed, which should combine career choice, training, job search and skills upgrading. For people with disabilities, vocational training, assistance in finding vacancies and workplace adaptation are provided.

In the social support system, there are plans to strengthen the targeting of assistance based on the real material situation of the family. After the integration of information systems, a pilot application of new eligibility criteria will begin. First, they will be tested on separate groups of recipients with high incomes. Further application of the methodology will depend on the results of the pilot.

Earlier, Kursiv wrote that in the first quarter of 2026, the share of Kazakhstanis with incomes below the subsistence minimum rose to 4.9% against 4.5% a year earlier. According to the Bureau of National Statistics, about 1 million people lived below the poverty line — 10% more than in the first quarter of 2025.