Nazarbayev has pledged additional support for the unemployed.

In Kazakhstan, the maximum period during which the unemployed can receive benefits, will be increased from four to six months. This, according to the IA "Kazakhstan Today", said President Nursultan Nazarbayev, speaking with an annual address to the nation.
Nazarbayev also outlined a number of areas, which could be deployed unemployed. This upgrading of utilities, construction and repair of roads, repair of social facilities (schools and clinics), greening and improvement of human settlements.
Overall, according to the president, for the employment of people in the region, as well as for retraining, the Government would allocate 140 billion tenge (about 930 million dollars). In addition, Nazarbayev said, from local budgets for this purpose should be sent to additional funds.
Nazarbayev suggested that the measures planned by the authorities, would provide work for at least 350 thousand people.
Kazakhstan, like most countries in the world, was affected by the global economic crisis. At the beginning of the year who led the TV station "Mir", the number of real (not just registered) unemployed amounted to 600 thousand people. The number of potential unemployed, according to the Kazakh Minister of Labor Berdybek Saparbayev, five times the stated figure.
As a measure to protect the labor market authorities of the country, reportedly decided to reduce to a minimum the number of foreign migrant workers. Restrictions will be introduced in April 2009.