Kazakhstan Plans Sharp Increase in Minimum Wage

Kazakhstan is considering raising the minimum wage to 150,000 tenge, although it is still unclear when that could happen, Orda.kz reports.

First Deputy Minister of National Economy Azamat Amrin said the issue is now being discussed in the government.

The minimum wage is now 85,000 tenge, and we plan to raise it. Worldwide, the minimum wage is usually 50% of the median salary. In Kazakhstan, it is about 302,000 tenge. That means we plan to raise the minimum wage to 150,000 tenge. But it will depend on the budget we are now calculating. Amrin said on the sidelines of the government. 

He did not name a timeframe for the increase, saying everything depends on the budget and the burden it would place on it. Most likely, this will not happen in 2026, since, according to Amrin, officials first need to analyse this year’s results. That is necessary to understand the budget’s capacity for the following year.

Original author: Ilya Astakhov

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