Kyrgyzstan Sees 12,000 Citizens Find Work Abroad in Early 2026

Nearly 12,000 Kyrgyz citizens have secured employment abroad during the first five months of 2026, facilitated by the Center for Employment of Citizens Abroad. This figure highlights a significant outflow of labor seeking opportunities beyond Kyrgyzstan's borders.

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For example, Korea allocates about 3,000 quotas for us annually. Applicants pass an exam on knowledge of the Korean language, employers in South Korea themselves choose their employees by gender, age, and so on. After their choice, we conduct a week-long pre-departure training.

Director of the center, Baktybek Kudayberdiev, identified the most sought-after destinations. The United Kingdom is popular for six-month agricultural work, while Bulgaria and Turkey attract workers for the hospitality sector. Germany and South Korea also remain key destinations. Kudayberdiev noted that South Korea annually allocates around 3,000 quotas for Kyrgyz workers, who must pass a Korean language proficiency exam and are then selected by South Korean employers based on criteria such as gender and age. A week-long pre-departure training is provided.

Currently, over 1,600 Kyrgyz citizens are working in South Korea under the EPS system, earning an average monthly salary of approximately $1,700, with living and food expenses often covered by employers. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Labor, Social Security, and Migration is working on a new agreement for employment in Japan, set to change programs from April 2027. Minister Kanat Sagynbaev emphasized the goal of directing Kyrgyz citizens toward high-tech fields in Japan, aiming for minimum one-year contracts with salaries starting at $2,000, so they can gain experience and contribute to Kyrgyzstan's economic development upon return.

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We are interested in sending our citizens not to low-paying jobs, but to high-tech directions, so that they go, gain experience in production, return to the country and direct the gained experience to the development of our economy.

However, challenges persist, particularly concerning wage non-payment, which Kudayberdiev noted is most common in Russia. While over 300,000 Kyrgyz citizens are estimated to be in Russia, only about 2,000 legally found employment through official channels in 2025. Many undocumented workers face issues like excessive overtime without pay. The Ministry of Labor also commented on the large number of private employment agencies in Kyrgyzstan, suggesting that 148 agencies might be excessive for the country's size.

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This is mainly encountered in the territory of the Russian Federation. More than 300,000 of our citizens are there, but through our center and private employment agencies in 2025, only about 2,000 people went to Russia. These are legally employed, but a lot of citizens leave spontaneously.