Kazakhstan Seeks to Introduce Compulsory Employment for IDPs and Kandas

In Kazakhstan, authorities want to require internally displaced persons and kandas to officially obtain employment. The relevant draft amendments were prepared by the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population, Orda.kz reports.

The changes concern the current rules on voluntary resettlement aimed at increasing labor mobility.

The ministry explained one of the main problems: people do not settle in new regions.

This encourages re‑migration and increases the burden on local budgets. the explanatory note to the draft states. 

The authors of the project propose introducing a mandatory condition: the immigrant must find employment in the region of settlement. At the same time, the fact of employment will need to be confirmed – including through social contributions.

The purpose of the changes is to make the resettlement program more effective and reduce the outflow of people from the regions. The ministry believes that such measures will help not only to integrate IDPs, but also to reduce the burden on local budgets.

The adoption of the draft order will not entail negative socio‑economic consequences. the authors of the document added. 

The project is open for discussion until April 6, 2026.

Earlier, we reported that thousands of immigrants from China and Uzbekistan moved to Kazakhstan. They are sent to regions where there are not enough workers. Almost half of the arrivals are from China (47.8%).

Original author: Saule Abdykamit

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