KZBlog

Came across the site Mojazarplata.kz [MySalary][RU]. The site is only in Russian so it’s not much use to expats but it seems like an interesting resource for tracking salaries, jobs in demand and other work trends. There’s a few surveys you can fill out, including one on whether or not your work is violating labor or safety laws.

For the general public, the list of jobs in demand [RUS] in Kazakhstan is very useful (Neweurasia.net has published the article translated into English here apparently). Not sure where the site got its research; I wish they were citing their sources–is it official information or is it the results of their surveys?

Anyway, I think we can see why the jobs that are in demand are not being filled by the younger generation. The highest paying jobs on the list are electricians with an average salary of 80,000 tenge ($533) a month and metal workers at 65,000 tenge ($433) a month. Both jobs require technical education which is a time and money cost and both jobs are potentially dangerous. “Experienced specialists in energy” can make up to 80,000 tenge. Don’t be fooled by the abstraction of the formal Russian; they mean people working in the oil fields or power plants–as the chief engineer of Almaty Airport says in a quote on the site: “This sphere lacks enthusiasts ready for intense mental and physical labor, as well as tremendous responsibility” Hard and stressful work and a lot of responsibility and if you live to be very experienced you might make over the national average salary! Can’t think why people don’t want that job! Food process engineers apparently also have a higher than average monthly salary (70,000 tenge) but again it would be tedious work in a factory. Who needs it?

Add to this the fact that in Kazakhstan workers don’t usually receive annual adjustments for inflation or job benefits like healthcare, and that employers frequently pay late or violate safety conditions and it’s understandable why most Kazakhstani dream to work in some office job–where it’s safe and they can make a lot more money. Let’s also note that in Astana, at any rate, you can pay 75,000 tenge just in rent. If you want to eat meat for lunch and dinner every day of the month (as many Kazakhs do), that’s half a kilogram a person a day or 15kg a month–around 10,000 tenge a monthy per person in your house. In other words, these salaries are not only small in comparison to Western countries, they are small in purchasing power. Honestly, I am a pretty frugal shopper and we own our own apartment and I still blow about $1000 a month on food, household goods and the occasional dinner at a restaurant.

What do you think? Are wages just too low in Kazakhstan? Are prices too high? Is there some other way to attract people, especially young people, to the jobs that are in demand?