The results of the 2026 IT labor market research were presented in Kazakhstan.

An Astana event marked the presentation of the third annual study of the IT specialists labor market in Kazakhstan. The event brought together representatives of IT companies and HR directors — those who shape and observe the labor market from the inside.

The study, conducted for the third consecutive year by People Consulting, this year covered data from 24 companies and over 7,300 salaries across 68 IT professions — with half of the employers joining the project for the first time. A key feature of the methodology is that all data was provided directly by the companies themselves, without candidate surveys or job posting analysis — this provides a picture of what is actually happening with compensation, rather than what is declared on the market.

Alexander Prokopenko, Partner of the HR Consulting Practice at People Consulting, presented the main conclusion of the study: the salary race that has defined the market in recent years is coming to an end. Companies are no longer willing to endlessly increase their payroll — competition for specialists is shifting towards technological stack, project quality, and decision-making speed.

Alexander Prokopenko, Partner of the HR Consulting Practice at People Consulting
If a few years ago the main tool of competition was salary, today companies that can offer interesting tasks, modern technologies, and a strong engineering culture are winning. At the same time, the study shows that the main growth is being achieved by specialists with rare competencies, while mass directions are gradually reaching a stage of stabilization and automation.

Participants paid special attention to which specialties showed the maximum income growth — PHP developers, DevSecOps and information security specialists, as well as enterprise solution architects were in the lead. At the same time, speakers noted: salary growth in the coming years is expected not across the entire category of AI specialists, but selectively — among the most qualified experts, which are currently critically lacking in the market.

Zhypar Sattarova, HRD Sergek Group
The most difficult stage in grading is not assigning grades, but a deep diagnosis of the company's functions and roles. Previously, this required lengthy manual analysis and numerous Excel arrays. Today, AI and vibe coding allow doing this faster and deeper through functional, semantic, and organizational analysis. This moves the C&B expert to a new level: we don't just build a grading system, but help the business see the real picture and make more accurate management decisions.

Participants also discussed the reduction of regional differences in compensation and the gradual blurring of boundaries between industries — banks, telecom, and product IT companies today form specialist salaries at comparable levels, although strategies within each industry remain different.