Analysts have calculated the real growth of wages in the small business segment in Kazakhstan. Experts from the First Credit Bureau noted that average salaries in small businesses have exceeded 300,000 tenge for the first time, although most of the increase is being eaten up by inflation.
According to data from BNS ASPiR RK, the average monthly salary of small enterprise employees in the fourth quarter of 2023 reached almost 316,000 tenge, increasing nominally by 13.7% year-on-year. However, with adjustments for consumer inflation, the average salary changed much more modestly - by 3%. These real growth rates have been the most significant since the third quarter of 2022.
When evaluating indicators by economic sectors, the dynamics vary. In construction and trade, where 40% of surveyed enterprise employees are employed, there is a decline in wages in real terms. Meanwhile, in the information and communication sector, with the highest indicator among sectors at 562,200 tenge, a real increase of 19.8% was recorded. The only sector with better dynamics is fishing with a growth of 24.4%, but here the average salary is the lowest at 132,900 tenge.
