Artificial Intelligence and the Transformation of Youth Employment in Kazakhstan: Conceptual Risks and Opportunities for NEET Youth

Abstract

Aim – to form a conceptual understanding of the mechanisms of youth employment transformation in Kazakhstan under the influence of artificial intelligence technologies and to determine the specific risks of digital exclusion for NEET youth. Relevance – AI changes the structure of demand for competencies, raising entry barriers to the labor market for socially vulnerable categories. Methods – conceptual modeling, structural-logical analysis, and dynamic analysis of official data from the Bureau of National Statistics of the Agency for Strategic Planning and Reforms of the Republic of Kazakhstan for the comparable period of 2023–2025. Results – it was established that despite an overall decline in the youth unemployment rate in Kazakhstan, regional, gender, and institutional imbalances persist. An author's conceptual model of youth labor market structural polarization under the influence of AI is proposed. Conclusions – the impact of AI on youth employment is indirect, manifesting through a shift in demand toward complex digital and adaptive skills. NEET youth are characterized by heightened vulnerability to digital exclusion, requiring specialized institutional integration mechanisms.