Number of self-employed in Kazakhstan increases since beginning of pandemic

There are more self-employed Kazakh residents. This year, their number has increased by more than 60,000 people, compared to the same period of last year. The gradual restoration of the former lifestyle played its role. According to experts, many residents who switched to remote work during the pandemic preferred to change their jobs. Someone opened a new business, and someone breathed new life into their old businesses.

“Since the end of 2020, the fourth quarter of 2020, we have seen a gradual stabilization in the labor market and economic recovery. We already see that the main indicators of the labor market have already reached the level of 2019. The number of self-employed has recovered and reached the level of the fourth quarter of 2019. This is due to the gradual easing of restrictive measures,” said Ruslan Tleubayev, spokesperson for Kazakh Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population.

The capital resident Dinara Besbayeva is one of those who started their own business. The flight attendant of one of the leading airlines was on maternity leave. In the spring, the woman planned to return to work, but, as it turned out, many flights were closed due to the pandemic and therefore the staff was temporarily cut. However, it helped to fulfill her dream - she opened a cozy coffee shop. The whole family helped the woman.

“Initially, it seemed to be too big of an idea to open a coffee shop, but then we realized that while there was no way to return to our previous jobs due to the pandemic, we need to come up with something to make money. Within a month from idea to its implementation, we opened a coffee shop. Things are going well. Compared to the first month, our sales have doubled,” noted the entrepreneur.

Public catering became one of the most affected spheres during the pandemic as well as the hotel business and services. However, currently, small enterprises are already returning to their previous operating mode, and this, of course, influenced the growth of the self-employed population compared to 2020. Thus, there are more than 2,100,000 of them in the country. And this is not the limit, analysts say.

 

Translation by Saule Mukhamejanova

Editing by Galiya Khassenkhanova