ALMATY – Kazakhstan secured a place among the world's top 30 economies for employment levels in 2025, according to the International Labour Organization's World Employment and Social Outlook: May 2025 Update, published via ILOSTAT. The country recorded an employment rate of 67% among its population aged 15 and above, placing it 29th globally alongside New Zealand, Singapore, and Thailand, all of which posted identical rates.
The Central Asian republic's positioning stands out when measured against larger, more industrialized economies. The United States, United Kingdom, and Germany each reported an employment rate of 59%, while France came in at 52% — figures that highlight relatively robust labor market participation in Kazakhstan relative to many advanced economies.
Qatar led the global ranking with an employment rate of 87%. Other nations occupying the top tier included the Solomon Islands, Madagascar, Tanzania, and Cambodia. The ILO's methodology bases the ranking on the share of employed persons within the total population aged 15 and above, a metric designed to enable cross-country comparison regardless of demographic structure.
The findings were released as part of the ILO's comprehensive global labor market assessment for 2025, drawing on standardized national survey data compiled through ILOSTAT, the organization's flagship labor market database.