2026

Future Work and Social Protection Gaps among Generations of the Labour Force in Kyrgyzstan. Research for New Labour Realities

Kyrgyz Republic, Bishkek

PIL Research Company

Labour relations in Kyrgyzstan are increasingly being shaped by non-standard forms of work:

platform work, such as delivery, taxi services, and digital side jobs;
hybrid and remote work;
project-based and portfolio work;
cross-border digital employment;
AI-enabled freelancing.

At the same time, the country’s social protection system is still largely based on standard labour relations: a single employer, a stable contract, predictable contributions, and long-term attachment to one workplace.
This creates a growing mismatch between:

how young workers actually earn a living;
and how the state still conceptualizes labour, contributions, and rights.

This issue is already being discussed globally and in Central Asia, yet in Kyrgyzstan it remains insufficiently studied.

Overall Objective:

The project goal is to study how the labour market and labour relations are changing in Kyrgyzstan, especially among younger generations and Generation Z, by preparing a data system for scenario forecasting of the future development of adaptive social protection systems.

The aims of the project:

Based on the research, the main objectives of the project are to create databases and maps:

A map of labour market transformation in Kyrgyzstan, with a focus on new labour market segments and new employment models;

1
A map of vulnerabilities and gaps in social protection;

2
A map of generational work values and institutional blind spots.

3

The main activities of the project are:

Preparation and implementation of fieldwork (development of the methodology; collection, processing, and analysis of empirical data);
Preparation of a research report and related analytical materials;
Dissemination of the research findings through their presentation to the expert community (for example, on the sidelines of the “Life in Kyrgyzstan” Conference, 7-8 October 2026).

The main activities of the project are:

Preparation and implementation of fieldwork (development of the methodology; collection, processing, and analysis of empirical data);

Preparation of a research report and related analytical materials;

Dissemination of the research findings through their presentation to the expert community (for example, on the sidelines of the “Life in Kyrgyzstan” Conference, 7-8 October 2026).