HR services means four different jobs
Suppliers use the same words for very different work, so split what you need into four jobs before you ask for a quote.
- Finding people: sourcing, screening and interviews.
- Administering people: contracts, personnel records, leave and onboarding documents.
- Employing people: being the legal employer, with payroll and contributions.
- Advising: labour law, disputes and ending an employment.
Few suppliers do all four well. A quote that looks cheap often covers the second job only, so ask which of the four you are actually buying.
Who covers what
Local HR and payroll firm
Administers people and runs payroll for a company registered in Kazakhstan. It needs a local entity or branch to work for, and it does not become the employer. We do not rank or recommend local firms; your adviser, a chamber of commerce or other foreign companies there are better sources of names.
Employer of record
Employs the person under a local contract, runs payroll, pays contributions and provides the benefits local law requires, so you need no entity. You still direct the daily work, and it does not find the person for you. Our guide to EOR or contractor lists what to ask.
Local recruiter
Finds people, typically for office, field or local-language roles, and charges a fee. The work stops at the hire.
Employment lawyer
Advises. Use one for anything with real legal exposure, such as a dismissal or a dispute.
No HR supplier: a contractor set-up
An independent contractor, often registered as an individual entrepreneur, invoices you and handles their own taxes. You pay through Deel, at $49[1] a month, or Wise, from 0.23%[2] per transfer. It fits only if the work is genuinely contract work; see contractors and employees abroad.
Three situations and what usually fits
- You have, or are opening, an office or entity in Kazakhstan. A local firm for records and payroll, a lawyer on call, and a local recruiter for local roles. A remote assistant adds no compliance cover here.
- You want a few people in Kazakhstan and no entity. An EOR if the roles look like employment, a contractor set-up if they genuinely do not. Ask an adviser first.
- Your team is elsewhere, and HR admin is eating your week. You need an HR assistant, and Kazakhstan is one of several places to find one.
What a remote HR assistant can and cannot do
An HR assistant runs the admin side of people work: posting jobs, screening applications, scheduling interviews, preparing offer letters and onboarding documents, keeping employee records up to date and answering routine HR questions.
They cannot give legal advice, sign on your behalf or decide a dismissal, and they do not know your country's labour law by default. Test them with real work: screen ten CVs against a job description, write a polite rejection email and explain how they handle confidential data. EU companies should also read GDPR and remote staff access.
On pay, we do not publish an offer range for HR assistants yet. For reference, the US national median is $50,610[3] a year, about $4,218[3] a month, before benefits. The HR assistant cost page has state figures, and the page on hiring an HR assistant from Kazakhstan has local wage data.
Kazakhstan in practice
- Hours: the whole country is on UTC+5 all year. A local day from 11:00 to 20:00 overlaps six hours of a London day in winter. For US teams most of the work happens overnight, which suits paperwork more than interview scheduling. Check your dates with the time-zone overlap tool.
- Language: Kazakh is the state language and many people grow up bilingual. Ask any local supplier in which languages contracts and records are kept, and whether you get English copies.
Questions for any HR supplier in Kazakhstan
Who is the legal employer under this contract: us, you or someone else?
Which of these are included: recruiting, records, payroll, legal advice?
Do you have your own entity in Kazakhstan, or do you work through a partner?
Who answers to the authorities if a filing is wrong?
What does ending an employment involve, and what does it cost?
What we do, and when we are not the right choice
We are the wrong choice if you need a legal employer, local HR administration, payroll for a Kazakh entity or legal advice. We are also the wrong choice for office or field staff who must be physically present in Almaty or Astana: a local recruiter will serve you better.
We help when you need a remote person on your own team. Posting a job is free; pricing shows when a fee applies. You can look through anonymous candidate profiles, where someone appears only after they agree to it, or send the tasks, hours and budget through Get 3 matching profiles. Our open vacancies today are for assistants and customer support, so for an HR role we reply within one business day with a yes or a no.
Most candidates reach us through our Telegram bot, with a written and a voice English task. Each profile shows the English level (B1–C2), and Silkstaff checks English on a live call before any client interview. The fee is a one-time $2,500–3,000[4] on the start day, and you contract with the person directly. Silkstaff replaces the person free of charge if they leave or do not work out within 180[4] days of the start date: one replacement per placement, once the fee has been paid and as long as the role, hours and pay stay as agreed. The fee itself is not refunded.
Questions
Can a foreign company hire employees in Kazakhstan without a local entity?
The usual route without an entity is an employer of record, which employs the person under local law on your behalf. If the person genuinely works as an independent contractor, you can sign a contractor agreement instead. Confirm your case with a local adviser; this is general information, not legal or tax advice.
How much do HR services cost in Kazakhstan?
We have no reliable figure to publish. Prices depend on headcount and on which of the four jobs you buy, so ask two or three suppliers for a written quote on your actual team.
What is the difference between an HR outsourcing firm and an employer of record?
An HR firm works for your local company, which stays the employer. An employer of record is itself the legal employer, so you need no local company. Providers use the terms loosely, so ask who signs the employment contract.
Does Silkstaff offer HR outsourcing in Kazakhstan?
No. Silkstaff is a recruitment company that finds remote staff for companies in the US and Europe, who then contract with the person directly. It does not employ people for clients, run payroll or keep personnel files.
General information for small employers, not legal or tax advice: check contracts, tax and data rules for your country with a qualified adviser. Figures carry their sources below; our own prices are on the pricing page. Spotted a mistake? Write to hello@silkstaff.com.