Among Russian-speaking gaming specialists living in Kazakhstan, nearly 60% are very dissatisfied with their salary
We continue to publish the results of the salary survey chapter by chapter, conducted by us from April to May 2023. This publication focuses on the salary level of an average Russian-speaking gaming specialist living in Kazakhstan.
Please note, we are currently conducting a new salary survey. It aims to gather up-to-date data about the salary situation among Russian-speaking and Russian specialists. You can participate in it here:
The distribution of Russian-speaking specialists in Kazakhstan by sector is very similar to the general industry layout. The differences include a noticeably smaller proportion of middle management, as well as the absence of top management.
A characteristic of the Russian-speaking gaming community in Kazakhstan is the predominance of Middle-level specialists. Their proportion is not only higher here than in the average Russian-speaking game development sector but also compared to this share in Russia (48.9% versus 41.7%). From this, one could hypothesize that Kazakhstan has become a main relocation point from Russia for mid-level specialists.
The proportion of gaming specialists aged 25 to 34 in the Russian-speaking game development sector in Kazakhstan reaches record levels relative to the general industry figures (74.4% versus 63.2%). In Russia, it was 57.4% at the time of the survey.
The average monthly expenses of Russian-speaking gaming specialists living in Kazakhstan are among the lowest among the countries where relocation has occurred. It is very close to the Russian level, amounting to $1108. When it comes to the median value, it is even lower — $1000. For reference, in Russia, it's $815 and $700, respectively.
Despite the relatively low monthly expenses, the average salary expectations for Russian-speaking gaming specialists in Kazakhstan are on par with industrial standards, at $3448 with a median of $3000. It is worth noting that across the entire Russian-speaking gaming industry, the figures are $3983 and $3125, respectively.
There are only two statistically significant and identical groups to discuss when it comes to the salaries of Russian-speaking gaming specialists in Kazakhstan — "specialists with a salary from $1500 but less than $2000" and "specialists from $2000 but less than $2500." The specificity of Kazakhstan is that it is the only relocation region separately considered in the study where the share of the first group matches the number of the second.
Kazakhstan is the only relocation region where over a quarter of Russian-speaking specialists earn less than $1000 (in other countries where relocation occurred, it typically doesn't exceed 20%). The average salary among Russian-speaking developers in Kazakhstan is $1834 with a median of $1700.
There is a very high level of dissatisfaction with salaries among Russian-speaking gaming specialists living in Kazakhstan — nearly 60%. This can be attributed to the relatively low salary levels (compared to the average in the Russian-speaking gaming industry) and high salary expectations, which align with the overall values for the Russian-speaking game development sector.
Methodology
The research stems from the third salary survey of Russian-speaking gaming industry representatives. The survey was conducted by WN Media Group from April to May 2023. It was carried out through voluntary questionnaires (respondents independently filled out a freely distributed questionnaire).
In total, 1004 completed questionnaires were received. Of these, 47 were from specialists located in Kazakhstan.
