On the eve of Media Workers' Day, Finprom analysts examined how the rise of artificial intelligence and the blogging boom have affected employment and wages in Kazakhstan's media industry. Their analysis, drawing on data from the Bureau of National Statistics, found that media salaries are climbing faster than the national average even as AI begins to automate routine tasks, and that a university degree still dramatically outperforms short-term copywriting courses in earning power.
Media salaries outpace the national average
As of the first quarter of 2026, average nominal monthly wages across all major media sectors exceeded Kazakhstan's national average of 461,500 tenge (about $950). In publishing, the average monthly nominal wage reached 700,200 tenge ($1,500), up 15.1% from a year earlier. Television and radio programming and broadcasting saw wages rise to 625,900 tenge. Film, video and television production posted the strongest gains, with average monthly wages surging threefold to 948,900 tenge.
The sharp increase in film and video production wages was largely driven by severe labor shortages. The sector experienced exceptionally high employee turnover, reaching 98.4% in 2024, and in 2025, 42% of employees left their jobs. To retain skilled workers, employers responded with substantial pay increases. Staffing levels remained relatively stable in publishing, where employee turnover stood at 12.8%, and in television and radio broadcasting, where it was 15.2%.
Despite higher nominal wages, inflation in 2025 eroded purchasing power across much of the media industry. Real wages declined by 7.6% in publishing and by 4.2% in television and radio broadcasting. Film and video production was the only major segment to post real wage growth, with an increase of 10.4%.
Higher education still pays off
The data also suggest that short-term training programs, typically costing between 3,000 and 90,000 tenge, do not fully replace a university education, which costs between 500,000 and 2.8 million tenge per year. Educational attainment continues to have a significant impact on earnings in the media industry. In publishing, employees with a university degree earn 1.8 times as much as colleagues without one. Professionals with postgraduate qualifications earn 3.3 times more than workers with only a secondary education.
Where the money is: salaries by media segment
Print media remains the industry's lowest-paying segment. Reporters earned between 170,000 and 493,000 tenge in 2025, while editors earned between 278,000 and 482,100 tenge. In television, reporters earned starting salaries of 387,800 tenge, announcers earned 471,000 tenge, and television hosts earned 740,000 tenge. Managers and directors earned between 540,000 and 855,000 tenge, while screenwriters were the highest-paid professionals, earning up to 1.4 million tenge.
Online media offered copywriters and content managers between 350,000 and 542,000 tenge. Website administrators earned between 90,000 and 314,000 tenge, while editors and digital designers earned up to 1.3 million tenge. In public relations, salaries remained higher than in traditional media. Press secretaries and PR specialists earned between 425,000 and 800,000 tenge, while brand managers earned up to 1.2 million tenge.
AI streamlines work but demand for talent remains
Kazakhstan's three official media sectors employ about 7,500 professionals, including roughly 5,900 people working in television and radio. While AI is streamlining many technical and routine tasks, demand continues to grow for experienced journalists and media professionals with strong writing skills, specialized expertise and proven qualifications. Resources that track this shift, such as AI for Writers, show that the technology is changing how writers work rather than eliminating their roles.
Why this matters for writers
The wage data from Kazakhstan tells a clear story: AI is not replacing skilled writers and journalists - it is reshaping the work they do. The 15.1% year-over-year pay increase in publishing and the threefold surge in film and video production wages signal that employers are paying a premium for talent, not cutting costs through automation. For writers weighing short-term copywriting courses against full degrees, the earnings gap is stark: university graduates in publishing earn nearly double what their non-degree colleagues make, and postgraduates earn more than triple. The blogging boom may have lowered some barriers to entry, but the salary ladder still rewards those who invest in deep expertise, a reality that structured learning paths like the AI Learning Path for Bloggers address directly.
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