Kyrgyzstan Needs 1 Million Jobs by 2040
A flagship EFSD report presented in Astana projects Kyrgyzstan's labor market needs over the coming decade.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Employment
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The European Foundation for Sustainable Development presented its flagship report, 'Economic Growth, Demography, and the Labor Market: Realities and Challenges,' at an international economic conference in Astana. The study projects Kyrgyzstan's economy must generate 700,000 to 1 million new jobs by 2040.
Why it matters
Demographic growth and shifting migration flows across Central Asia will require economic adaptation to absorb a growing working-age population. The report covers Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, underscoring the regional scale of the challenge.
Kyrgyzstan's GDP grew an average of 10.2% annually from 2022 to 2025, and real wages rose 2.2-fold, while the poverty rate fell from 34% to 24%. The report's labor projections are model-based forecasts, and the extraction does not detail the assumptions behind them.
The players
European Foundation for Sustainable Development (EFSD)
The EFSD is an organization that produces economic and development research on emerging economies, and this report is its flagship publication on the region's labor markets.
The details
The report highlights infrastructure projects including the Kambar-Ata-1 Hydropower Plant and the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, along with programs encouraging private business expansion and new company formation. Its projections include a working-age population increase of 1.19 million by 2040.
Timeline
- 2022 to 2025: Kyrgyzstan's GDP grew an average of 10.2% annually.
- 2040: Kyrgyzstan must generate 700,000 to 1 million new jobs.
Market Landscape
The report follows the EFSD's established flagship format, extending its analysis from growth into labor demand. It positions Central Asian labor markets within a wider regional shift toward private-sector job creation.
For workers and job seekers across Central Asia, the projected need for up to a million new jobs by 2040 signals sustained demand for employment in the region. Households may see the labor market's trajectory shape wages and opportunities over the coming decades.
The takeaway
Labor demand across Central Asia is set to rise sharply, and the scale of the projected job gap makes employment growth a central economic priority for the decade ahead.
Further reading
For related coverage, explore Employment reporting on labor markets and workforce trends.
Live Poll
Do you think the economy will create enough jobs for Kyrgyzstanis by 2040?
