ASTANA, Kazakhstan, January 10. Investments in fixed capital in the Karaganda region of Kazakhstan increased by 16.3 percent and amounted to 727 billion tenge (about $1.6 billion), Trend reports.
This was stated in the report of the head of the Karaganda region, Ermaganbet Bulekpayev.
According to the report, from January through November 2023, the volume of industrial production amounted to 3.1 trillion tenge (about $6.8 billion).
Growth was ensured in the manufacturing industries: mechanical engineering - by 45 percent, light industry - by 23.9 percent, pharmaceuticals - by 20 percent. Increases are also seen in the paper, construction industries and ferrous metallurgy.
In addition, the small and medium-sized business sector employs 45 percent of the region’s active population, and there are more than 100,000 companies.
For entrepreneurs, retail tax has been reduced from 4 to 2 percent. In 2024, it is planned to increase the share of SMEs in GRP (gross regional product) from 19 to 25 percent.
At the same time, during the above period, more than 25,000 jobs were created in the region, as a result of which the unemployment rate dropped to 4.1 percent.
Meanwhile, real incomes of the population increased by 4.7 percent.