The number of employed women in Kazakhstan continues to grow. According to the results of the first quarter of 2026, the number of employed women exceeded 4.5 mln. As in previous years, the largest share of female employment is concentrated in the education, wholesale and retail trade, and human health and social work sectors, El.kz reports citing the Bureau of National Statistics of the Agency for Strategic Planning and Reforms of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Number of employed eomen continues to increase
According to the Labour Force Sample Survey, 4,527.1 thousand women were employed in Kazakhstan’s economy during the first quarter of 2026. Compared with the corresponding period of the previous year, this represents an increase of 0.9%, or 42.6 thousand persons.
The majority of employed women are employees. Their number reached 3,602.0 thousand, accounting for nearly four-fifths of all employed women. A further 925.1 thousand women were engaged in self-employment.
Sectors with the highest female enployment
The education sector remains the largest employer of women, with 902.2 thousand employed, representing almost one-fifth of all employed women in the country.
The wholesale and retail trade sector ranks second, employing 877.6 thousand women. It is followed by human health and social work activities, where 426.3 thousand women are employed.
Female employment also remains significant in the industrial sector, which employs 388.1 thousand women. In agriculture, forestry and fishing, 351.2 thousand women are employed.
Sectors Recording the Fastest Employment Growth
The highest annual growth in female employment was recorded in real estate activities, where the number of employed women increased by 25.7%.
Substantial growth was also observed in administrative and support service activities, with employment rising by 21.9%. Female employment increased by 16.2% in the transportation and storage sector and by 7.6% in industry.
Regions with the largest increase in female employment
The highest year-on-year growth in female employment was recorded in the Karaganda Region, where the number of employed women increased by 7.8%.
It was followed by the Aktobe Region with an increase of 6.5%, the city of Almaty at 6.3%, and the Turkistan Region, where female employment grew by 6.1%.
The majority of employed women live and work in urban areas. A total of 3,008.5 thousand womenare employed in urban localities, substantially exceeding the corresponding figure for rural areas.
