Kazakhstan continues to experience a gender gap in the labor market, with female unemployment exceeding male unemployment, and in some regions the difference reaches multiple times. Women of older age are particularly vulnerable, reports infohub.kz.
In the second quarter of this year, unemployment among women stood at 5.1%, compared to 4% among men. A similar picture was observed for the full year 2025: 5% versus 4.2%. In four regions, the situation was reversed—male unemployment exceeded female—and in four other regions, the indicators matched.
For example, in the Mangystau Region, the gap between the indicators reached 5.5 percentage points (2.5% among men versus 8% among women). Looking at statistics not only by region but also by cities and districts, it turns out that in some of them, female unemployment is incomparably high relative to the national average. Thus, in Munaily District of Mangystau Region, female unemployment in 2025 reached 11.7% (versus 0.6% among men), in Ryskulov District of Zhambyl Region—7.9% (versus 2.3% among men), and in Alginsky District of Aktobe Region—7.8% (versus 2.7% among men), analysts note.
Age also significantly affects the employment situation. The most alarming is the unemployment rate among women of pre-retirement age 55–64 (8.6%), middle age 45–54 (4.9%), and economically active age 35–44 (5.8%). This dynamic reflects systemic barriers in the labor market, from employer stereotypes to difficulties with retraining and adapting to new professional requirements, the analysis says.
Education, on the contrary, reduces the likelihood of being unemployed. Among women with higher and postgraduate education, the unemployment rate was 3.5%. For those with only school education, the figure is significantly higher—11.4%. Among women with basic secondary education, it reaches 15.6%, and with general secondary education—11.9%.
In April–June, Kazakhstan had 242,700 unemployed women. Over the year, their number increased by 1.6%. The largest share (32.7%) remained unemployed after being laid off from their previous job: 79,300 people. Notably, the number of women unemployed for this reason grew by 65.8% over the year, the study notes.
Additionally, 33,300 women cited family circumstances as the reason for unemployment, and 30,800 decided to manage household chores. Some traditional job search methods have become less popular. The number of women who applied to state employment agencies decreased by 27.9% over the year, from 67,800 to 48,900. Meanwhile, 103,100 women looked for work through friends, acquaintances, and relatives. More than 70,000 posted resumes on online platforms and social media themselves.