Preview

Eurasian Journal of Economic and Business Studies

Advanced search

Empirical Analysis of the Readiness of Kazakhstan's Labor Resources Transformation to a "Green" Economy

https://doi.org/10.47703/2789-8253-2026-1-5-18

Abstract

In Kazakhstan, the transition to a green economy remains insufficiently empirically researched, despite the availability of strategic documents on innovative development. The aim of the study is to assess the readiness of Kazakhstan’s workforce for the transition to a “green” economy based on an analysis of factors affecting the number of people employed in “green” jobs.The methodological base of the study includes correlation analysis and the method of statistical equations of dependencies, which identify the stability of relationships in conditions of multicollinearity of factors and a limited length of time series. The empirical study is based on official statistical data from the Bureau of National Statistics for the period 2020-2024. The results of the correlation analysis showed a high degree of correlation between the dynamics of “green” employment and a number of factors (10 out of 19), including GDP per capita, investment in fixed assets, R&D expenditures, and financing of “green” economy projects. However, the application of the method of statistical equations of dependencies revealed the absence of stable functional relationships between the number of people employed in “green” jobs and most of the analyzed factors. The only variable for which a stable statistical relationship was recorded (stability coefficient K > 0.7) was the unemployment rate. The prospects for further research include analyzing institutional mechanisms that shape demand for “green” competencies, expanding the time series of data, and conducting a comparative analysis with practices in EU countries.

About the Authors

Ainura Maxyutova
Institute of Economics CS MSHE RK
Kazakhstan

PhD, Researcher 

Almaty 



Saule Kaliyeva
Institute of Economics CS MSHE RK
Kazakhstan

Doc. Sc. (Econ.), Associate Professor 

Almaty 



References

1. Barra, C., & Ruggiero, N. (2019). Are Green Energies Employment Friendly? Empirical Evidence for Some OECD Countries over the 1985–2013 Period. Sustainability, 11(14), 3963. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11143963

2. Berman, E., & Bui, L. T. (2001). Environmental regulation and labor demand: Evidence from the south coast air basin. Journal of Public Economics, 79(2), 265–295. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0047-2727(99)00101-2

3. Bezdek, R. H., Wendling, R. M., & DiPerna, P. (2008). Environmental protection, the economy, and jobs: National and regional analyses. Journal of Environmental Management, 86(1), 63–79. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2006.11.028

4. Bluedorn, J., Hansen, N. J., Noureldin, D., Shibata, I., & Tavares, M. M. (2023). Transitioning to a greener labor market: Cross-country evidence from microdata. Energy Economics, 126, 106836. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2023.106836

5. Briggs, C., Atherton, A., Gill, J., Langdon, R., Rutovitz, J., & Nagrath, K. (2022). Building a ‘Fair and Fast’ energy transition? Renewable energy employment, skill shortages and social licence in regional areas. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Transition, 2, 100039. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rset.2022.100039

6. Bulavskaya, T., & Reynès, F. (2018). Job creation and economic impact of renewable energy in the Netherlands. Renewable Energy, 119, 528–538. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2017.09.039

7. Bureau of National Statistics (2024). Green economy indicators. Retrieved December 15, 2025 from https://stat.gov.kz/en/green-economy-indicators/25825/

8. Cainelli, G., Mazzanti, M., & Zoboli, R. (2011). Environmentally oriented innovative strategies and firm performance in services. Micro-evidence from Italy. International Review of Applied Economics, 25(1), 61–85. https://doi.org/10.1080/02692170903426146

9. Cerný, M., Bruckner, M., Weinzettel, J., Wiebe, K., Kimmich, C., Kerschner, C., & Hubacek, K. (2024). Global employment and skill level requirements for ‘Post-Carbon Europe’. Ecological Economics, 216, 108014. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2023.108014

10. Côté, S. (2018). Renewable energy and its potential impact on GCC labor markets: Opportunities and constraints. The Economics of Renewable Energy in the Gulf. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429434976

11. Destek, M. A., Ozsoy, F. N., & Ozpolat, A. (2020). Investigation on the job creation effect of green energy in OECD countries. In M. A. Destek & A. Ozpolat (Eds.), Econometrics of Green Energy Handbook: Economic and Technological Development. Springer International Publishing.

12. Huang, J., Xu, X., & Zhao, T. (2023). The moderating effect of clean technology innovation in the process of environmental regulation affecting employment: Panel data analysis based on 22 industrial sectors in China. Journal of Cleaner Production, 414, 137672. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.137672

13. Javed, A., & Usman, N. (2025). Skill-biased labour market effects of environmental policy and green energy transition in Italy. Energy Policy, 207, 114833. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2025.114833

14. Kaliyeva, S. A., Maxyutova, A. F., Rakhmetova, R. U., & Alpeissova, S. E. (2025). Assessment of the Impact of the Digital Economy on Labor Resources Transformation in Kazakhstan. Economy: Strategy and Practice, 20(1), 19–30. https://doi.org/10.51176/1997-9967-2025-1-19-30

15. Lehr, U., Nitsch, J., Kratzat, M., Lutz, C., & Edler, D. (2008). Renewable energy and employment in Germany. Energy Policy, 36(1), 108–117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2007.09.004

16. Li, Z., & Li, Y. (2024). Environmental regulation and employment: Evidence from China’s new Environmental Protection Law. Economic Analysis and Policy, 82, 400–416. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eap.2024.03.019

17. Liu, G., Chen, T., Sui, X., & Solangi, Y. A. (2023). Examining and prioritizing the effect of sustainable energy on the job market to advance China’s green workforce. Heliyon, 9(12). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e22710

18. Ma, B., & Wang, A. (2025). Exploring the role of renewable energy in green job creation and sustainable economic development: An empirical approach. Energy Strategy Reviews, 58, 101642. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esr.2025.101642

19. Osorio-Aravena, J. C., Ram, M., Aghahosseini, A., & Breyer, C. (2025). Evaluation of employment effects during the transition of the Chilean energy system. Energy, 318, 134839. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2025.134839

20. Ram, M., Aghahosseini, A., & Breyer, C. (2020). Job creation during the global energy transition towards 100% renewable power system by 2050. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 151, 119682. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2019.06.008

21. Swain, B., Karimu, A., & Gråd, E. (2022). Sustainable development, renewable energy transformation and employment impact in the EU. International Journal of Sustainable Development & World Ecology, 29(8), 695–708. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504509.2022.2078902

22. Thake, A. M. (2025). Transitioning to a green economy – the impact on the labor market and workforce skills. In Greening Our Economy for a Sustainable Future (pp. 163–175). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-443-23603-7.00013-3


Review

For citations:


Maxyutova A., Kaliyeva S. Empirical Analysis of the Readiness of Kazakhstan's Labor Resources Transformation to a "Green" Economy. Eurasian Journal of Economic and Business Studies. 2026;70(1):5-18. https://doi.org/10.47703/2789-8253-2026-1-5-18

Views: 336

JATS XML


Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.


ISSN 2789-8253 (Print)
ISSN 2789-8261 (Online)