Power engineers are concerned about the outflow of specialists to other industries

The low level of wages in the electric power industry leads to an outflow of specialists to other industries, said Vice-Minister of Energy Kairat Rakhimov.

- The electricity and heat generation sector is a very complex process that requires highly qualified specialists. The specifics of the industry imply special education, even in the lowest positions. Today, we are seeing a systematic outflow to other industries and neighboring states, - Rakhimov said during the briefing at the Central Communications Service.

He specified that the main reason for the departure of specialists is the low level of salary in the electric power industry. At the same time, the consequences of the lack of specialists directly affect the operation of power plants. This leads to the failure of the deadlines for the delivery, commissioning of facilities and, in general, the quality of repair campaigns.

If in 2016 more than 26 thousand people from production personnel worked at the main power plants of Kazakhstan, then by the end of 2020 the number does not exceed 23 thousand people, despite the increase in production volumes by 15%.

In the near future, the main priority in the management system of energy – producing organizations will be qualified personnel and maintaining such qualifications at a high level. To do this, it is necessary to take measures to develop appropriate programs and systematically increase wages, -  the Vice Minister added.

Unofficial translation