Top 5 Reasons Companies Choose an Employer of Record (EOR) in Kazakhstan
- Natia Gabarashvili
- Aug 20, 2025
- 7 min read
Updated: Dec 15, 2025
Table of contents:
Introduction
It’s Monday morning in Almaty.
A German SaaS company is onboarding three Kazakh software engineers over coffee.
No one’s talking about entity registration.
No one’s buried in payroll spreadsheets.
They’re just… working.
That’s the power of hiring in Kazakhstan without building a local company from scratch.
Kazakhstan is Central Asia’s most stable economy, with a pro-business government, an educated workforce, and one of the fastest-growing tech scenes in the region. Yet, most global companies still think of it as “somewhere in between Europe and China” instead of a serious talent hub.
Here’s the problem:
Suppose you try to enter the market the old-school way, setting up an entity, registering with tax authorities, hiring lawyers, and decoding labor laws. In that case, you’re looking at months of delay and tens of thousands in setup costs before your first hire even logs in.
Here’s the solution:
An Employer of Record (EOR) in Kazakhstan lets you bypass all that.
With Team Up, you can hire top Kazakh developers, engineers, finance experts, and multilingual support teams in days, fully compliant, fully legal, and payroll handled.
No red tape. No guesswork.
In this article, you’ll see exactly why Kazakhstan is becoming the smart hire for global companies, and why doing it through an EOR is the fastest, safest play you can make.
Reason 1 – Skilled, cost-competitive talent pool
Kazakhstan isn’t just rich in oil and minerals, it’s rich in talent.
The country’s workforce blends technical depth with global business readiness, making it one of the most underrated hiring markets in Eurasia.
Where the skills are strongest:
Engineering & IT – From full-stack developers to network architects, Kazakh tech professionals are trained in both legacy systems and the latest cloud solutions.
Oil & gas tech – Decades of servicing the country’s biggest export industry have created engineers who can solve complex, high-risk problems, skills that translate well into precision-driven sectors like aerospace, renewables, and manufacturing.
Logistics & finance – As a trade hub between Europe and Asia, Kazakhstan has a pool of professionals fluent in supply-chain optimization, international trade finance, and cross-border compliance.
Multilingual customer support – with proficiency in Russian, Kazakh, and English, as well as growing capabilities in Turkish, Mandarin, and Arabic gives companies a built-in language advantage for regional expansion.
Why the quality stays high
Kazakhstan’s universities invest heavily in STEM programs, often partnering with global institutions. The Nazarbayev University model, combining international faculty with local expertise, has become a pipeline for globally competitive engineers, developers, and analysts.
The cost advantage
Hiring in Kazakhstan can save companies 40–60% compared to equivalent roles in Western Europe or the US. That’s not because of lower skill, it’s because of a favorable cost of living and competitive local wage expectations. The savings multiply when you’re building multi-role teams, making Kazakhstan an attractive option for scaling without overspending.
The EOR advantage
Through Team Up’s EOR model, you can access pre-vetted, mid- to senior-level professionals without waiting months to open a local entity. We handle payroll, benefits, and compliance so you can focus on integrating your hires into your global team, not on navigating Kazakhstan’s bureaucracy.
Reason 2 – Strong economic growth and state support for business
Kazakhstan is one of the few markets in Central Asia where economic optimism isn’t just a headline; it’s in the numbers.
The country’s GDP is forecast to grow 4–5% through 2025–2026, fueled by steady energy exports, rising foreign investment, and an aggressive diversification push.
A pro-business reform agenda:
Tax incentives for IT companies – Eligible firms enjoy reduced corporate tax rates and exemptions on VAT for certain services, making Kazakhstan’s tech sector more cost-efficient to scale.
Special Economic Zones (SEZs) – These hubs offer preferential tax regimes, customs benefits, and streamlined import/export processes, ideal for manufacturing, logistics, and digital service companies targeting regional markets.
Investment-friendly legislation – Clearer rules on foreign ownership, profit repatriation, and dispute resolution have improved Kazakhstan’s ranking in the World Bank’s ease of doing business indicators.
Digital and industrial transformation
The Digital Kazakhstan program aims to modernize infrastructure, digitize government services, and boost digital literacy. Combined with industrial diversification away from pure oil & gas dependency, this creates demand and funding for high-value skills in tech, manufacturing, renewable energy, and professional services.
The EOR advantage in Kazakhstan
With Team Up’s EOR compliance model, you can start hiring in Kazakhstan while the reforms work in your favor without the months of paperwork and administrative setup required for a legal entity. You benefit from the incentives, tap into emerging sectors, and scale up fast, all while we handle payroll, contracts, and local labor law compliance.
Reason 3 – Strategic location for Eurasian expansion
Kazakhstan sits between Europe, Russia, and China. Not “near.” Between.
That means your team can cover CIS, Central Asia, the Caucasus, parts of the EU, and western China from one base without chasing time zones.
The routes that do the heavy lifting
Trans‑Caspian International Transport Route (Middle Corridor): Rail + sea across Kazakhstan → Caspian → Caucasus → Europe. Shaves days off east–west transit versus slower lanes.
Khorgos Gateway (Kazakhstan–China dry port): Rail freight handoff at scale. Containers in, containers out, fewer bottlenecks.
Almaty/Astana air hubs + Caspian ports (Aktau/Kuryk): Multimodal options when you need speed or flexibility.
North–South links: Access up to Russia and down toward the Gulf/India routes through partner corridors.
Why this matters to a hiring plan (not just a supply chain)
Regional coverage from one payroll: Sales, partner success, and ops teams can serve multiple markets without you opening an entity in each.
Client access that’s actually convenient: 2–5 hour flights to key cities in the EU, MENA, Caucasus, and western China.
Shared services that scale: Place support, logistics coordination, compliance ops, and RevOps in one hub and point them at several countries.
Roles that fit this hub today
Cross‑border logistics & trade ops (routing, customs, carrier management)
Multilingual CX & partner success (Russian/Kazakh/English; growing Turkish and Chinese)
Regional finance & compliance coordinators (invoicing, VAT, export docs)
Sales development & channel teams covering CIS + MENA + EU edges
Cost and risk math your CFO will like
One hub = fewer leases, fewer banks, fewer filings.
You still reach three directions at once. Your burn stays sane. Your ramp stays fast.
EOR angle: build once, serve many
You don’t need three new subsidiaries to test a Eurasia strategy. With an Employer of Record, you can:
Hire in days, place talent in Almaty or Astana, and point them at surrounding markets.
Run local contracts, payroll, and benefits without setting up a legal entity.
Scale up or wind down without closure costs if a market doesn’t convert.
Reason 4 – Improving labor market stability
Kazakhstan’s workforce isn’t just growing in size; it’s becoming more stable and predictable.
Unemployment has been steadily declining, with official rates dropping from 4.9% in 2022 to around 4.7% in 2024, and the government continues to push reforms that encourage formal, long-term employment over short-term or informal work.
The country’s economic diversification, from oil and gas into IT, logistics, manufacturing, and finance, means professionals now have more options to build careers locally rather than seeking work abroad.
Why stability matters for foreign employers
High turnover is expensive. It eats into productivity, disrupts projects, and drives up recruitment and training costs.
In Kazakhstan, lower attrition rates in skilled sectors are becoming a competitive advantage. Many professionals, particularly in IT, engineering, and finance, are looking for long-term, career-building roles, the kind foreign companies can offer when hiring through the right structure.
This is also a market where employer reputation travels fast. Secure, compliant jobs build trust among candidates, making it easier for you to attract top talent in future hires.
The Employer of Record advantage
An EOR in Kazakhstan doesn’t just simplify hiring, it strengthens labor market stability in your favor:
Compliant contracts ensure your hires are fully protected under local labor law.
Payroll, benefits, and taxes are handled correctly and on time, building employee confidence.
Clear career pathways make it more likely your talent will stay for the long haul, reducing turnover and recruitment cycles.
With an EOR, you can tap into Kazakhstan’s increasingly stable labor market without taking on the cost or complexity of setting up your own legal entity.
Reason 5 – Cost-efficient market entry with EOR
Establishing a legal entity in Kazakhstan isn’t a quick administrative task; it’s a full-blown investment of time, capital, and energy.
Even with streamlined government procedures, you’re looking at 6–12 weeks for registration, plus additional time for tax setup, compliance documentation, and opening corporate bank accounts.
You’ll also face upfront costs for legal fees, accounting support, and mandatory corporate capital. And if market conditions shift, shutting down or restructuring that entity is another lengthy (and costly) process.
For many international companies, this level of commitment is risky, especially when testing a new market.
The EOR cost and time advantage
Hiring through an Employer of Record in Kazakhstan flips the timeline and the cost equation in your favor:
Speed to hire – Start onboarding employees in as little as 2–3 weeks, sometimes faster.
Lower upfront costs – No capital injection, no corporate office lease, no local directors required.
Pay-as-you-scale model – You only pay salaries, statutory contributions, and the agreed EOR service fee.
An EOR manages payroll, taxes, benefits, and compliance on your behalf, eliminating the need for in-house HR, payroll, or legal teams on the ground.
Flexibility to scale up or down without risk
Market entry isn’t always linear. You may start with a single key hire in Kazakhstan, then expand into a full team, or adjust headcount based on demand.
With an EOR, you can scale without committing to fixed overheads or going through the legal complexities of restructuring an entity.
This flexibility is particularly valuable for project-based hiring, market testing, or rapid regional expansion into Central Asia.
Conclusion
Kazakhstan has everything a scaling business needs:
A skilled, cost-competitive talent pool ready for mid- to senior-level roles.
Steady economic growth backed by government reforms and pro-investment policies.
A strategic location connecting Europe, Russia, and China with world-class trade infrastructure.
Improving labor market stability with retention rates that beat many global hubs.
And the ability to enter the market faster and cheaper when hiring through an Employer of Record.
For global companies, this isn’t just an attractive market; it’s a launchpad into Central Asia. And the most efficient way to start?
An EOR in Kazakhstan gives you immediate hiring capability, full compliance, and zero setup risk.
You focus on finding the right people.
We handle payroll, taxes, benefits, and legal obligations, so your first hire can be working in days, not months.
