ASTANA MOTORS RECOGNIZED AS THE MOST ATTRACTIVE EMPLOYER IN THE “CAR BUSINESS” CATEGORY

ANCOR staffing group named the most attractive employers in Kazakhstan and presented labor market analytics

On October 31, 2023, The Talentist summed up the results of employer brand perception study. It revealed the rationale of the working-age population for choosing and changing jobs, and also helped determine the most attractive employers in the country. The top 3 factors when choosing an employer were: good salary – 85%, financial stability of the organization – 78% and long-term employment guarantees – 67%. The most popular industries for employees were the car business and transportation.

The most attractive employers in Kazakhstan were also named. According to a survey in which more than 3,500 respondents across the country assessed the 100 largest companies by headcount, the final ranking included 84 organizations that were recognized by more than 10% of people. The most attractive employer in Kazakhstan was Tengizchevroil.

Leaders in individual categories were also named:

• Car business – Astana Motors;
• Mining and processing – KAZ Minerals;
• Fuel and energy industry – Tengizchevroil;
• Construction – BI Group;
• Transportation – Air Astana;
• Consumer goods – Megapolis-Kazakhstan;
• Information and communication – Transtelecom;
• Financial services – Kaspi.kz;
• Agro-industrial complex – Atameken-Agro;
• Retail trade – Meloman.

“We are ending 2023 with the launch of a large-scale study, The Talentist, to research the perception of the employer brand, which will allow us to provide our clients with reliable and multi-level labor market analytics. We saw how people’s behavior patterns in relation to employment have changed, and we received a lot of useful information about job seekers and employees for employers. We are greatly pleased to share with employers in Kazakhstan valuable information that will help them in their work to create a comfortable working environment for their staff and build mutually beneficial partnerships with their employees. Work on the employer brand is the only win-win path to success in the new market realities!” said Valeria Petrunina, General Director of ANCOR.

Main results of the study

Today, the employer brand is a very important tool for the company in working with both candidates and the current team. It allows you to create a relevant employer image and strategy to most effectively attract and retain talent. To effectively use this approach, it is important for organizations to understand the current situation in the labor market and take into account current trends.

For example, the working population is increasingly thinking about personal fulfillment and the opportunity to create something of their own. According to the data obtained, more than a third of respondents would prefer to have their own business, and every sixth would like to be self-employed. As to hired employees, job seekers prefer international commercial employer companies to Kazakh ones.

It is also important to realize that people’s needs are not limited to financial reasons. Apart from salary and financial stability, they appreciate a pleasant working atmosphere, the quality of the products and services created by the company, the provision of equal opportunities, interesting work, support from the employer, etc. And companies should take these preferences into account because the labor market has a shortage of personnel in almost all industries, and finding personnel with the necessary qualifications often turns into a difficult task.

Profile of respondents

A large-scale independent online survey commissioned by ANCOR took place in July this year. A representative sample of more than 3,500 respondents of working age from 16 to 63 years old across the country was formed, with a focus on the major working group of 25-44 years old. The representative sample based on socio-demographic characteristics reproduces the working population of the entire country. Women made up 49%, men – 51%. By age respondents were distributed as follows: participants 16-24 years old made up 16% of the total number of respondents, 25-34 years old – 34%, 35-44 years old – 38%, 45-13 years old – 12%.

As for the employment format (the question was asked to respondents 18+), 73% of participants worked on a permanent basis, 13% were self-employed or freelancers, and 11% worked on a temporary basis.

The distribution by area was as follows: Almaty – 21%, Astana – 16%, Northern Kazakhstan – 15%, Western Kazakhstan – 13%, Central Kazakhstan – 10%, Eastern Kazakhstan – 10%, Southern Kazakhstan – 8%, Shymkent – 7%.

Questions and peculiarities of the study

The peculiarity of The Talentist study is that, in addition to general questions, respondents were asked to evaluate the employer brands of specific companies. These are large organizations that set standards in the labor market: in terms of salaries, range of benefits, comfortable work setting, etc. This year, the study covered 100 employer brands from 11 industries with 1,000 or more employees. The final list included only 84 organizations that were recognized by more than 10% of people.

What companies do people want to work for and are they attracted to hired jobs?

The survey has showed that people have a great interest in working in small organizations – a company with “up to 100 people” was most often mentioned in the answers about the size of an ideal company. Positions in international corporations are very attractive, but no longer considered the best option, as is the very fact of being hired. As a result, it turns out that large employers compete not only with smaller players, but also with other forms of employment – most often, respondents said they wanted to open their own business, become self-employed, or become a freelancer.

When asked about their preferred place of work, 37% of respondents indicated their own business, self-employment/freelancer work attracted 15% of participants, 14% were interested in international commercial companies, and 10% had no particular preference. 6% would like to work in the civil service, 5% are thinking about a family business. The remaining options scored less than 5%: commercial companies with state interest, Kazakh commercial organizations, startups, non-profit entities.

As for the desired number of staff, 32% would prefer a business with a team of up to 100 people, and this is the most popular answer. This is followed by teams of 101-1,000 people – 16%, those who do not want to work for hire – 14%, more than 5,000 people – 9%, 1,001-5,000 people – 7%.

Respondents also answered the question regarding the number of employers they currently have: 69% noted one, 21% noted two or more employers, 10% indicated no employer/work for themselves.

Upon further analysis, the following patterns were revealed:

• women do not want to work for hire more often than men;
• young people under the age of 24 would like to work in large companies with 5,000 employees, but older people 45+, on the contrary, prefer small organizations with up to 100 employees;
• residents of the Northern and Western regions more often said they wanted to work in a small business with up to 100 people on staff, while residents of the Eastern region preferred medium-sized organizations from 1,001 to 5,000 people.

Top 5 most important criteria for choosing an employer

The January events of last year and the unpredictability of the international political and economic situation emphasized the importance of basic values for people. It is important for companies to consider this when working with their HR brand to effectively attract and retain talent. In order for job seekers to choose a particular company, they must be confident in a good salary – this is the most important parameter for 85% of respondents, in the financial stability of the employer – 78%, in guarantees of long-term employment – 67%. Next come: a pleasant work setting – 63% and high-quality products/services of the company – 60%. This suggests that candidates’ needs are not limited to financial factors; psychological comfort and the level of the product and service they will be involved in creating are important to them.

If an organization is committed to retaining valuable employees and generally reducing staff turnover, it is important to take into account other criteria from the list, in addition to the top 5 stated. The full list includes: equal opportunity – 59.6%, interesting work – 58.6%, strong leadership – 56.2%, work-life balance – 55.9%, career opportunities – 54.2%, good employer reputation – 53.9%, use of modern technologies – 48.1%, education and training – 39.2%, convenient work location – 39.1%, flexible working conditions – 34.5%, social responsibility – 23,8%.