Education level impact on career opportunities of men and women in Kazakhstan

A detailed examination of the labor market trends from 2012 to 2022 in regard to labor force participation, employment, self-employment, and wage increase is presented. Using descriptive statistical techniques and regression, the following critical measures have been researched: hired and self-employment rate, gender gaps, unemployment rate in finding systemic trends, and significant correlations. It implies, finally, that labor force and hired employment keep improving steadily, while self-employment keeps falling due to changes in labor market structural preference. Gender inequality remains obvious with females suffering from their relatively slow labor force growth coupled with a rather moderate improvement of job opportunities. The regression analysis brings out that the year and selfemployment variables have a significant impact on determining wage growth, while hired employment and gender are not too significant. The unemployment rate turns out to be positively correlated with changes in wages, so it is possible that changes in wages have been smoothed over labor market fluctuations. This research also reflects on the possible impact of exogenous factors, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, on employment structures and gender relationships. These findings expose the need for policy interventions on gender disparities, support for entrepreneurship, and equal access to labor market opportunities. This study gives some key recommendations toward sustainable and inclusive economic development through the light it casts on the long-term transformation in labor market conditions.