In the second quarter of 2026, trade overtook industry and education to become the leading sector for employment in Kazakhstan's economy. According to the Bureau of National Statistics, 16.8% of all employed people in the country work in this sector, compared to 12.4% in industry, reports infohub.kz.

In total, 9.4 million people were employed in Kazakhstan's economy in the second quarter. Thus, roughly one in six working Kazakhs is employed in trade.

"The largest share of employment was observed in trade at 16.8%, education at 13.3%, industry at 12.4%, and agriculture at 10.5%," the Bureau of National Statistics said.

Education also surpassed industry in terms of employment share, reaching 13.3%. Agriculture employs 10.5% of the workforce.

The labor force in the second quarter reached 9.84 million people. Of the 9.4 million employed, 7.25 million (77.2%) are salaried employees, while 2.15 million (22.8%) are self-employed.

Compared to the same period in 2025, the number of employed people in Kazakhstan increased by 99,500. The Bureau of National Statistics notes that the increase was mainly driven by salaried workers.

The unemployment rate in the second quarter of 2026 stood at 4.5%. This figure is calculated according to the International Labour Organization methodology: the unemployed are those who are without work, actively seeking employment, and available to start work.

As of the end of June, 333,100 unemployed people were officially registered with the employment authorities of the Ministry of Labour, accounting for 3.4% of the country's total labor force.

Among youth aged 15 to 34, the unemployment rate was 2.9%. Additionally, 5.7% of young Kazakhs fall into the NEET category—they are not employed, not in education, and not in vocational training.

Earlier, Kursiv reported that domestic trade in Kazakhstan grew by 5.9% in January–July 2026, compared to 8.6% in the same period last year. Retail turnover reached 14.2 trillion tenge, up 4.1%, while wholesale turnover reached 29.1 trillion tenge, up 6.7%. Sales of food products increased by 10%, while non-food sales rose by only 1.4%.