AIFC Employment Regulations

Module 1

• AIFC Employment Regulations:
  Priority over the Labour Code of Kazakhstan; international labour standards;
• Mandatory requirements for the written form of the employment contract:
  (Employment contract form according to AIFC Regulations, priority of the English version, specifics of the contract term and early termination, qualification requirements for foreign employees in the AIFC, compliance with migration rules, personal data protection);
• Remuneration and working time in AIFC participant companies:
  (Main rules of salary payment in the AIFC and their differences from the Labour Code of Kazakhstan, working time regimes (possibility to use similar regimes as in the Labour Code)).

Module 2

• Social security:
  (Maternity leave and payments, rules for granting leave upon childbirth, pension contributions and payments);
• Workplace:
  (Employer’s obligations regarding workplace organization – differences between licensed and non-licensed AIFC companies);
• Protection of employee rights:
  (Exclusive jurisdiction of the AIFC Court to consider and resolve employment disputes; features of AIFC Court practice on employment cases in 2020–2025).

Module 3

Employee onboarding and documentation

• Mandatory documents upon hiring

• How to draft an employment contract and how it differs from the one under the Labour Code of Kazakhstan

Practice: review of a real employment contract template – key points for HR attention.

Policies and internal documents

• Mandatory policies for AIFC participant companies

• Why internal documents replace some norms of the Labour Code

Practice: preparing a “must-have” list of HR policies.

Leave and social guarantees

• Types of leave: annual paid leave, paternity leave, and other leave types

• Maternity leave and payments: key differences from the Labour Code

Practice: step-by-step process for arranging maternity leave in AIFC participant companies.

Discipline and termination

• Absence of formal disciplinary rules in the AIFC Employment Regulations: what tools can HR use?

• Termination: periods, grounds, compensations

Practice: drafting a termination notice letter.

Reporting and interaction with state authorities of Kazakhstan

• Reports HR must submit (Form 1T, military registration, quotas for persons with disabilities, etc.)

• Registration of employment contracts in Enbek.kz

• Work specifics with foreign employees: residence permit, notifications to the migration service.

Practice: checklist “HR Reporting for AIFC Participant Companies.”

• Online training sessions
• Questions and answers​
• Presentations and recommendations from the trainer​
• Electronic training certificate

Sholpan Baimuldinova (Associate CIPD (Level 7), SPHR(i), Vice-Chair of the IOSCO Diversity Network) is the HR Director and Corporate Secretary to the Board of Directors at the Astana Financial Services Authority (AFSA), the independent regulator of the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC).

She has extensive experience working at the intersection of two legal systems: the AIFC Common Law framework and the national labour legislation of Kazakhstan. She leads the HR and corporate governance functions of the regulator, including the development of employment policies and procedures that comply with both the AIFC legal framework and national legislation. Her responsibilities also include coordinating the activities of the Board of Directors and its committees, overseeing corporate governance matters, and ensuring compliance with applicable regulatory requirements.