Results of the Year
Oil and Gas Labour Market: Trends, Challenges and Forecasts
In recent years, Kazakhstan’s labor market has shown structural shifts that reflect the economy’s broader transition toward more technology-intensive and capital-intensive forms of production. This is especially evident in the oil and gas, refining, and gas-chemical industries, which remain key sources of investment, employment, and tax revenues.
According to a study by Antal Kazakhstan published in October 2025 and covering 2024–2025, these segments are seeing rising demand for specialists with engineering backgrounds and competencies in digitalization, industrial safety, and sustainable development. At the same time, there is a persistent shortage of practitioners able to manage complex process cycles and implement innovative solutions in operating production facilities.
General Trends
According to Antal Kazakhstan, about half of specialists in the country are open to changing jobs, indicating high labour mobility. Competition for qualified employees is intensifying, especially in strategic industries where project timelines directly depend on the availability of competent specialists.
In the oil and gas sector, workforce dynamics have accelerated amid renewed large investments, including the construction of new gas processing and petrochemical capacities and programs to increase domestic refining of feedstock. Companies are having to balance cost optimization with maintaining attractive working conditions.
Notably, nearly two-thirds of specialists reported a salary increase over the past year, yet a significant share say the raise did not offset inflationary pressure. This is pushing employees to seek new opportunities and increasing turnover, especially among middle management and young engineers.
Employment Structure and the Geography of Demand
Key employment centers in the oil and gas sector remain the Atyrau and Mangystau regions, where producing operators and contractor service companies are concentrated around the Tengiz, Karachaganak, and Kashagan fields. These regions show steady demand for drilling engineers, geologists, occupational safety specialists, local content specialists, and process operators.
In the refining regions of Pavlodar, Atyrau, and Shymkent, demand is rising for process engineers, mechanics, instrumentation and control engineers, and analytical chemists. Additional momentum comes from the development of gas-chemical clusters, including the Polypropylene and Polyethylene projects and the Polymer Production plant, implemented in partnership with SIBUR and KazMunayGas. These enterprises are already creating hundreds of new jobs and require specialists with competencies at the intersection of chemical engineering and project management.
Pay and the Role of Benefits
According to Antal Kazakhstan, the oil and gas sector remains one of the highest-paid in the country. Average base salaries in the industry exceed market averages, and compensation packages increasingly include individualized bonuses, quarterly awards, and long-term incentive programs.
In 2024, there has been growth in flexible reward practices. Some companies are adopting a “total rewards” model in which a significant share of non-monetary incentives—such as training, rotations, and participation in international projects—is treated as equivalent to financial bonuses.
At the same time, social benefit packages are expanding. Employers are adding voluntary medical insurance, housing and meal allowances at sites, and mental and physical wellness programs. Companies are placing greater emphasis on workplace comfort and safety, especially at fly-in/fly-out facilities.
Staffing Challenges and the Shortage of Engineering Competencies
The main problem remains the shortage of engineering and technical specialists. Despite a large number of university graduates, employers note insufficient practical training and a weak command of modern digital tools for design and data analysis.
Demand is rising for mechanical engineers, automation specialists, chemical engineers, project managers, and ESG and industrial ecology experts. Companies are strengthening in-house training, launching corporate academies, and developing partnership programs with universities.
KazMunayGas is particularly active in workforce initiatives, building long-term training programs for petrochemical plants in Atyrau and Shymkent. International operators—NCOC and Tengizchevroil—are focused on developing safety skills and technical culture, including through joint projects with international certification bodies.
Impact of Digitalization and ESG Factors