The labor market in the gender aspect

In 2021, the workforce aged 15 years and older amounted to 9.3 million people (2020 – 9.2 million people) or 69.3%, a year earlier, indicator was 100 thousand less (2020 – 69.2%) of the total population. 8.8 million people are employed in various sectors of the economy, of which 4.2 million people or 48.3% are women (2020 - 48.2%).

In the structure of the employed population, most of them are employees – 6.7 million people or 76.2% of the total number of employed, 2.1 million people or 23.8% are self-employed. At the same time, if gender equality is observed in the number of employees (50.9% are men, 49.1% are women), then among the self-employed, the proportion of men is slightly higher - 54.4% compared to 45.6% of women.

Considering the representation of men and women in various sectors of the economy, it should be noted that a significant proportion of employed men are employed in traditionally "male" spheres: construction (77.2%), industry (68.9%), agriculture, forestry and fisheries (57.8%), transport and warehousing (77.4%).

Women are less represented in the agricultural sector (42.2%), industry (31.1%) and construction (22.8%), but prevail in such areas of economic activity as trade (57.1%), provision of accommodation and food services (65.4%), education (72.9%), health and social services of the population (73.0%).

The analysis of the gender and age structure shows that the main share of the employed population - 76.5% are people aged 25 to 54 years, while the ratio of men and women is approximately the same (51.3% of men and 48.7% of women). 11.5% of the total number of employees belong to young people (15-24 years old) and among them there are more boys (53.0%) than young girls (47.0%). Persons of pre-retirement age (55-64 years) They are 11.2% of the total number of employed, while the proportion of women in this age group increases to 49.1%. Working pensioners have the smallest share in the number of employed – 0.8%, of which 53.1% are women.

7.4 million people or 83.5% of the employed population had higher and secondary vocational (special) education. Women are more skilled workers, 41.4% of women have a high level of education.

The number of unemployed (persons aged 15 years and older who did not have a profitable occupation, were actively looking for it and were ready to start it) by the end of 2021 amounted to 449.6 thousand people (2020 – 448.8 thousand people), slightly more than half of whom were women (55.1%). The unemployment rate is at 4.9%, and female unemployment (5.5%) (2020 – 5.4%) still exceeds male unemployment (4.2%) (2020 – 4.4%).

According to data for 2021, the average monthly nominal salary of women was 220,160 tenge (in 2020 – 182,679 tenge), for men – 281,239 tenge (in 2020 – 243,524 tenge). In absolute terms, the difference averaged about 61,079 tenge, in percentage terms, the gender gap was 21.7% (in 2020 – 25.0%).  

 

Gender pay gap,%

 

Differences in remuneration differ depending on the work performed and the types of economic activity of enterprises. The maximum amount of remuneration was noted in the mining industry and quarrying – 503,930 tenge, the minimum – in agriculture, forestry and fisheries – 150,705 tenge.