Hiring Teachers in Kazakhstan: Wage Structures, Competency Expectations and Social Inequalities

The teacher labor market reflects not only the need of educational organizations for teaching staff but also the differences in wages, requirements for professional experience and competencies, which can create social inequality within the profession. The aim of the study is to identify the specific features of hiring teachers in Kazakhstan based on an analysis of wages, requirements for work experience, subject specialization, and professional competencies.The empirical basis of the study consisted of 17 997 vacancies selected from the initial set of 30 460 listings posted on the HeadHunter and Enbek platforms in January-February 2025. The work used methods of descriptive statistics and analysis of average and median salary values. The results showed that out of 17 997 vacancies, 13 510 were aimed at candidates without work experience; the median offered salary for them was 110 760 tenge, while for vacancies requiring up to three years of experience, it was 155 000 tenge. The highest median salary was recorded for English teachers — 250 000 tenge, whereas for primary school teachers, with 3 997 vacancies, it was 117 960 tenge. The results show that support at the beginning of a career, structured onboarding, and closer monitoring of subject‑specific pay differences are important for improving recruitment, professional advancement, and reducing inequality among teachers in Kazakhstan.

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