Employers in Kazakhstan can now consider a document confirming professional qualifications alongside a diploma when hiring. The changes are part of amendments to Article 32 of the Labor Code, enacted by a law dated July 7, 2026. Corporate law expert Alexander Danilovsky discussed the innovation, reports infohub.kz.
The amendments update the list of documents required for signing an employment contract. However, the professional qualification document is not entirely new; it was introduced in subparagraph 3 of paragraph 1 of Article 32 of the Labor Code back in 2023.
According to Danilovsky, the changes do not diminish the importance of a diploma. "It's not a replacement for a diploma, but an addition — the diploma remains the primary document. Essentially, it's another way to show an employer that a person has real, current skills, not just a piece of paper from a decade ago. The main document is still the diploma. The additional document is the professional qualification certificate. It can't be bought; it is issued by an accredited recognition center after an exam that includes both theory and practice. Of course, it works in conjunction with the system established by the Law 'On Professional Qualifications' of July 4, 2023. And the most valuable aspect is for those who have skills but no diploma: craftsmen, service sector specialists, micro-qualifications. A person may have been working at a high level for years but is formally 'invisible' to the labor market — this document legitimizes them," the expert explained.
Danilovsky noted that the new norm primarily targets two categories of workers. The first includes people without a specialized diploma but with practical experience and professional skills. For them, the qualification recognition document will allow formal confirmation of their competencies to employers and help them exit the "gray" employment zone. The second category comprises specialists for whom certain laws already require mandatory qualification confirmation through licenses, attestations, or certifications. For them, the expert said, little has changed except that the logic is now more clearly reflected in the Labor Code.
Those already working in their field with a relevant diploma do not need to obtain a professional qualification document.
"For most professions, it's voluntary. Recognition becomes mandatory only where a separate law already required clearance — a license, attestation, or certification. You can't demand this document from everyone as a condition of employment: paragraph 6 of Article 32 prohibits requesting documents not listed in the article. The wording 'if available' means we consider it if the person brings it, not that we send them to get it," Danilovsky summarized.