Kazakhstan Approves Deal with Qatar to Regulate Overseas Employment

The Senate of Kazakhstan has ratified an intergovernmental agreement with Qatar aimed at regulating the employment of Kazakh citizens in the Gulf state.

Originally signed on February 14, 2024, during President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s official visit to Doha, the agreement seeks to strengthen legal protections and improve social safeguards for Kazakh workers employed in Qatar, The Caspian Post informs via Kazakh media.

The document sets out a transparent framework for recruitment and employment, establishing procedures for how job offers from Qatari employers are processed and publicized through Kazakhstan’s Employment and Migration Centers.

A key feature of the agreement is the introduction of a standardized employment contract, which clearly defines the rights and responsibilities of both the employer and the employee. The contract is legally binding and cannot be unilaterally altered by the employer once signed.

Under this contract, Kazakh workers are entitled to several core benefits, including:

Free accommodation or a housing allowance;

Complimentary transportation to and from the workplace, or a transport allowance;

Access to medical care in accordance with Qatari law;

Round-trip airfare at the start and conclusion of the employment period, including for annual leave.

Qatar finalized its ratification of the agreement on November 29, 2024, while Kazakhstan’s lower house of Parliament, the Mazhilis, approved it earlier this year.

Officials say the agreement will help ensure safer, fairer, and more transparent labor migration between the two nations, while enhancing protections for Kazakh nationals working abroad.