Occupational burnout as a workforce management challenge in Kazakhstan’s pharmacy sector

A cross-sectional online survey across all 17 regions of Kazakhstan ( n = 385, January–April 2025) assessed occupational burnout among pharmacy professionals using the Maslach Burnout Inventory–Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS). Results showed that 68.8% had high emotional exhaustion, 81.6% had high depersonalization, and 54.3% had reduced personal accomplishment. The composite Burnout Index was 0.56 (IQR 0.50–0.63), above the 0.40 threshold for high burnout. Depersonalization scores were notably higher among males ( p < 0.001). The highest burnout scores were observed in the 36–45-year age group and among those with 3–5 years of work experience. Those with secondary pharmaceutical education showed more depersonalization and lower personal accomplishment than bachelor’s graduates ( p < 0.05). As the sample skewed toward early-career professionals (71.2% under 25 years of age), these figures most directly characterize early-career pharmacy professionals rather than the workforce as a whole. Situated within the Job Demands–Resources theoretical perspective, these data present region-specific evidence for shaping workforce management approaches in Central Asian pharmacy sectors navigating post-Soviet healthcare reform.