Kazakhstan, Astana, Sept. 3 / Trend D. Mukhtarov /
There is a negative trend of employees being dismissed related to the decline in production volumes in large industrial companies involved in oil and gas infrastructure construction, KazMunaiGas Chairman Lazzat Kiinov said today.
"Roughly 20,000 people were dismissed from Bolashak plant construction project in the Atyrau region in 2010-2011 in connection with the completion of the operations," he said.
"Roughly 12,200 Kazakh employees will be dismissed from the facilities of the North-Caspian project by late 2012. This situation is observed in the oil producing companies, where there is a decrease in oil production due to natural depletion of fields.
"The working personnel dismissal increases the number of low-income families, including those where there is no one working in the family," he said. "In this regard, the issues of increasing the participation of Kazakh producers and service companies in the oil and gas projects, and creating new jobs in western Kazakhstan, are of particular importance."
Moreover, the problem with employment is urgent in Western Kazakhstan now due to the large influx of Kazakh people, who returned from other countries, interested in the work in the oil and gas sector, traditionally characterized by high wages.
"I would like to stress that about 2,000 new jobs, including 1,000 jobs in Zhanaozen have been created by KazMunaiGas's efforts since early 2012," Kiinov said. "Moreover, we planned to implement a number of projects on repair and service of the Uzen field this year.