Main determinants of emigration of young specialists in Kazakhstan

Abstract

This study aims to explore the factors that push young Kazakhstani citizens of ages from 23 to 30 years old with higher education degrees and certain work experience to emigrate to foreign countries. The research is primarily oriented at studying the potential emigration, by finding out people’s perception of emigration and the factors that force them to leave Kazakhstan. We find empirical support for the hypothesis that the low levels of income increase the willingness of the young professionals to emigrate. Moreover, the research results demonstrate that the low levels of income is the most decisive factor in our sample. The absence of political freedom coupled with corruption, poor education, and the difficulty of finding a job also push emigration. At the same time, the repatriation programs in Russia and the South Korea strongly attract emigrants from Kazakhstan.