Employment in Kyrgyzstan

The national labour force was about 2.9 million people in 2024, with more than 104,000 unemployed and an employment rate of about 57%. Agriculture accounted for 16% of employment. The employment rate was about 72% for men and 43% for women, and women's average pay was about 69% of men's. About 17% of people aged 15 to 24 were neither employed nor in education or training. A job search can begin through zanyatost.kg, the Электронная биржа труда or a territorial employment office. The Служба занятости and Отделы по содействию занятости населения provide job-search registration, vacancies, regional advice, career guidance, short courses, vocational training, paid public works and job fairs. Registration is available online or through a territorial office. Courses and programmes depend on local demand and eligibility; special quotas exist for orphanage graduates and people with disabilities, but the system does not provide a uniform national placement guarantee. State and municipal vacancies may also use e-Kyzmat. Formal employment starts with a written contract in two copies or an electronic contract. The worker receives one copy. The employer issues an admission order within three days, explains internal rules and provides occupational safety instruction. The employment record can be maintained in a paper or electronic трудовая книжка. Permitted part-time work can involve more than one employer, and remote or combined work is possible. A probation period applies only when the contract expressly includes it. It may last up to three months, or up to six months for a head, deputy head, chief accountant or head of a structural unit. Minors, people elected to office, competition winners and certain transferred workers are among those excluded from probation. If the worker fails the probation, the employer must give a reasoned notice at least three days in advance. The normal working week is 40 hours. The law provides shorter norms of 36 or 24 hours for specified groups. Annual paid leave is generally 28 calendar days. The first leave entitlement normally arises after 11 months of continuous work, although earlier leave can be agreed. The employer gives notice of the leave start at least two weeks in advance and pays the leave amount at least three working days before the leave begins; one part of the leave should be at least 14 calendar days. Pay is set by the employment contract and may also be affected by a collective agreement. The national minimum wage applies to unskilled work and may not fall below the subsistence minimum for a working-age person. A payment delay creates a penalty of 0.25% for each day. The average monthly wage in 2024 was 36,047 KGS, with large regional and sectoral differences; the averages were 44,074 KGS in Bishkek and 30,039 KGS in Osh. Workers have the right to safe and healthy conditions. A worker may refuse work that presents an immediate danger, falls outside the contract or lacks required personal protective equipment, while the average wage continues until the danger is removed. Pregnant and breastfeeding workers may not be assigned heavy, dangerous, harmful or underground work. The law does not impose a general occupational ban on women outside those limits. When liquidation, staff reduction or reorganization ends employment, severance pay is at least two average monthly wages. Registering with a state employment office within ten days can continue the average wage for the second and third months. One average monthly wage applies in specified special cases. An unlawful dismissal can be challenged by preserving the employer's order and a copy of the employment record, contacting the labour inspectorate at trudnadzor.kg or a district or city court. The Ministry indicates a two-month period for a dismissal claim counted from the dismissal order or the employment-record entry. The formal system provides clearer proof of the job, pay and termination date than informal work. This proof matters for enforcing wage claims, leave rights, safety protections and dismissal remedies. Private job searches and private training can involve varying costs, while state employment services and short courses are publicly provided.