One of the systemic problems of modern Kazakhstan was and still remains low quality of government workers, especially on a local level. In the end even correct, timely and achievable programs and decisions of the government fail.

Also top-down governance has drowned in paperwork, meetings and inter-clan wars and also learned to imitate active work, since it is the only wat of survival under large number of incoming “vital instructions” coming from the top. Add to this a lack of interest (both material and moral) of officials and staffers of quasi-governmental structures, and it is not surprising that the government machine constantly halts.

It is worth noting that Nazarbaev and his closest allies realizes this and thus regularly try to better the quality of government official body, among other things, by trying to professionalise it, constantly improving the hiring process and outer quality control, regularly creating shake ups. However, all of these organizational gimmicks are of little help since the rely on one mechanism, government apparatus itself.

To prove our thesis, we will use press release of the ministry of labor and social protection of KR from April seventh 2017, on the subject of 672 families announcing that they want to move from SKO into northern regions. Since the document isn’t large we will quote it in its entirety.

“Based on results from job fairs of employers from northern regions, that took place in Maktaoral and Saryagash rayons of South Kazakhstani oblast and city of Shymkent in the period of Aril 3-5 of current year, 672 families made a decision to move to northern oblasts of the republic. Of these 92 families are from the Maktaoral and 124 families are from the Sariagash rayon, 452 families are from Shymkent.

Among families wanting to move to northern regions there are 1008 able-bodied citizens, out of these 794 people are willing to work in government enterprises, 116 south Kazakhstanis want to work in agriculture, 98 people are planning to get involved in entrepreneurship.

187 families are planning to move to northern Kazakhstan, 169 south Kazakhstan, 161 family to Kostanay and 155 to Pavlodar oblast.

In total 636 employers from northern regions presented for citizens of south Kazakhstan 1785 vacancies in the production industry (37%), in education (31%), healthcare (21%), government management (6%) agriculture (3.6%) construction (1%).

In total 5.7 thousand citizens of the oblast participated in the job fair.

We remind that based on data from the agency for employment and social programs of SKO, in the region today there is a 66 474 thousand surplus of qualified specialists with higher education and unskilled ones.

To stimulate voluntary migration, government of KR has designated 7 regions for accepting of migrants, including oralmans (Akmola, Atyrau, eastern Kazakhstan, western Kazakhstan, Kostanai, Pavlodar and north Kazakhstan oblasts) and 4 regions of departure (Almaty, Jambyl, Mangistau and south Kazakhstan oblasts).

In 2016 146 families from SKO moved into north Kazakhstan (125 families), Kostanai (18 families) and eastern Kazakhstan (3 families) oblasts”.

Let’s start with the fact that based on data from agency for employment and social programs of SKO, there is 66474 surplus of specialists with higher education and of workers without qualification. Still only 5.7 thousand people took part in the fair, so approximately only one in twelve people.

Since in the families, willing to relocate to northern oblasts, there are 1008 able-bodied citizens, then the effectiveness of such migration program is one in five people that participated in the fair and one in 60 people from the number of surplus people for their regions. At the same time, out of 1008 able-bodied migrating people 794 people want to work at government agencies, 116 want to work in agriculture and only 98 are aiming to do entrepreneurial work.

This is considering that that 636 employers from northern regions presented 1785 vacancies at the fairs, of which 37% were in the production sphere, 31% in education, 21% in healthcare, 6% in government management, 3.6% in agriculture, 1% in construction.

Even if you count educational and healthcare institutions as governmental agencies, there is still a disconnect between desires of migrants employers. Add to this, tiny aid for relocation plus the fact that migrants move into a zone with essentially different mentality, the final effectiveness of the program of relocation of Kazakhstanis from south to north of the country is close to zero.

It is obvious that such inner migrational movement of large masses in Kazakhstan is both possible and needed, but it should be organized differently, even creating large farmstead for employing migrants. Plus people should be selected for relocation preemptively, after which they should be trained or retrained for concrete workplaces. Thus, people should be provided with the most essential – work places, normal salaries and familiar social environment. And only then, when such enterprises are created and rooted they themselves will attract migrants.

It is evident that such migration programs are way more expensive and complicated and are probably not up to task for a single ministry of labor and social protection of population or for oblast hakimiat. But if there is a union between administrative and financial capabilities of large governmental holding, specializing on development programs of economy and support of the small and mid-business, ministry of social labor, oblakimiat, banks and investors, then the result of such union can be way more positive.

You don’t even need many such projects, one for oblast is enough, but if successful it will be argument for relocation of future migrants.

And most importantly, successful experience can be replicated. In order to recognize ineffectiveness of current governmental programs of inner migration, one must simply honestly answer the question: why and where are people trying to relocate? Obviously towards a better life; on the other hand ministry of labor and social protection of KR cannot create such a life in the north of republic, which is why it imitates activity and creates press releases.