Key facts
- Most seasonal workers in Britain now originate from Central Asian countries such as Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
- The UK's seasonal worker program has seen a dramatic increase in participants from Kazakhstan since 2021.
- In May 2025, remittances from the UK to Kazakhstan totaled approximately $7 million, making Britain the second-largest source of such transfers.
- Agricultural leaders state that numerous British farms would face failure without the contribution of these seasonal laborers.
Ten years after Brexit, the United Kingdom's agricultural sector is increasingly reliant on seasonal workers from Central Asian countries, notably Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. This reliance has become a critical factor for farm operations, with agricultural leaders warning of potential failures without this labor force.
A significant socio-economic trend has emerged with a growing number of Kazakh citizens seeking seasonal work abroad, particularly in the UK. This migration pattern has directly impacted financial flows, with remittances from the UK to Kazakhstan experiencing a dramatic surge. In May 2025, these remittances totaled 3.58 billion tenge, approximately $7 million, representing 18.8% of all international money transfers to Kazakhstan. The number of monthly transfers from the UK has reached 10,000, positioning Britain as the second-largest source of such funds.
This shift is largely attributed to the expansion of the British government's seasonal worker program. While only 391 Kazakh citizens worked in the UK in 2021, this number escalated to 5,000 by 2023. The typical wage for these seasonal agricultural jobs in the UK is at least £11.40 per hour, translating to a monthly income of nearly $2,000, a substantial difference compared to wages in Kazakhstan. Consequently, workers frequently send a significant portion of their earnings back home to support their families.
Overall international remittances to Kazakhstan in May 2025 exceeded 19 billion tenge (about $37 million). Russia remains the largest contributor, but the UK's growing role highlights the adaptation of Kazakhstani citizens to global labor markets and their pursuit of new income opportunities abroad. Other significant sources of remittances include Uzbekistan, the U.S., Turkey, South Korea, Germany, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, and Azerbaijan.
The UK's seasonal worker scheme facilitates the temporary employment of thousands of foreign laborers for crop planting, maintenance, and harvesting, typically for about six months. While historically dominated by Eastern Europeans, the workforce has increasingly drawn from Central Asia in recent years. Strawberry picking in the UK has become a notable association for seasonal agricultural work among Kazakhstani citizens, even inspiring local humor.