The year 2024 is coming to a close, and Kazakhstanis are already making plans for the next year, curious about the holidays that await them in 2025. One of the main questions is whether there will be any transfers of days off in honor of festive dates to extend their vacation. Tengri Life decided to clarify this matter and learned about potential changes in the schedule of work and holiday days.
In January of next year, the days off will fall on the following dates.
For a five-day workweek:
- December 30 and 31 (Monday, Tuesday) – working day;
- January 1 and 2 (Wednesday, Thursday) – day off, New Year's Day;
- January 3 (Friday) – working day;
- January 4 and 5 (Saturday, Sunday) – day off;
- January 6 (Monday) – working day;
- January 7 (Tuesday) – day off, Christmas according to the Orthodox calendar.
For a six-day workweek:
- December 30 and 31 (Monday, Tuesday) – working day;
- January 1 and 2 (Wednesday, Thursday) – day off, New Year's Day;
- January 3 and 4 (Friday, Saturday) – working day;
- January 5 (Sunday) – day off;
- January 6 (Monday) – working day;
- January 7 (Tuesday) – day off, Christmas according to the Orthodox calendar.
A similar situation awaits Kazakhstanis in May. Thursday, May 1, will be a day off, Friday, May 2, will be a working day, and May 3-4 falls on Saturday-Sunday. May 5-6 will be working days, May 7 is Defender of the Fatherland Day, May 8 is a working day, and May 9 is Victory Day. Here too, we believe that transfers are not excluded.
The Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population of Kazakhstan, in response to an official request, stated that they are currently developing a draft order regarding the transfer of days off for 2025.
"According to Article 85 of the Labor Code, in order to rationally use working time during festive days, as well as during days off specified in paragraph 5 of Article 84 of the Code, the authorized labor authority has the right to transfer days off to other working days.
In this regard, the ministry is currently developing a draft order on the transfer of days off for 2025, which will be posted on the ministry's website and on the internet portal of open regulatory legal acts for public discussion," the agency reported.
However, how exactly the Ministry of Labor plans to transfer days off remains unclear.
The Day of the Capital of Kazakhstan, celebrated on July 6, falls on a Sunday in 2025, so we decided to find out if there will be a transfer in this case.
"According to Article 5 of the Law on Holidays in the Republic of Kazakhstan, when a day off coincides with a holiday, the next working day after the holiday is considered a day off. In this case, July 6, 2025, falls on a Sunday, therefore, July 7, 2025 (Monday) will be a day off," the agency noted.
So in July, Kazakhstanis can look forward to long weekends: July 5, 6, and 7.
Qurban Ait, expected to be on June 6, 2025, will also be accompanied by a day off, as the first day of the holiday is traditionally a non-working day. However, the ministry reported that, according to the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kazakhstan, the date of the celebration may be adjusted depending on the visibility of the new moon.
It is worth noting that this year there was a mix-up with the celebration of Qurban Ait. Initially, the DUMK announced that the holiday would fall on June 17, a Monday. The Ministry of Labor scheduled a day off on Monday, giving Kazakhstanis the opportunity for a three-day weekend. Many planned trips and various activities for those days.
However, ten days before the scheduled date, the DUMK changed the schedule and moved Qurban Ait to June 16, a Sunday. The ministry followed suit and canceled the day off on Monday, disappointing the plans of Kazakhstanis. Labor Minister Svetlana Zhakupova explained at the time that she fully understands the feelings of citizens, but rules are rules.
Earlier, we reported on how Kazakhstanis will spend their time off in November. For more details, see the article.
How Kazakhstanis will celebrate the New Year and Independence Day – more details here.