Kadrlar

Kadrlar is a term used in Turkic languages, such as Azerbaijani and Uzbek, to denote personnel, staff, or cadres—particularly those in leadership, management, or specialized roles. The plural form kadrlar refers to cadres or a pool of staff collectively. The word is a common loanword across post-Soviet states, generally traced to the Russian кадр (cadre), and it has entered administrative vocabulary through historical ties with the Russian Empire and the Soviet period.

Historically, kadrlar referred to the cadre class—the body of party, state, and military personnel charged with policy implementation and governance. In Soviet-era usage, the concept encompassed the cadre system and processes for training and placing qualified individuals in leadership and technical positions. The term could also describe the broader pool of skilled professionals within a given organization or region.

In contemporary usage, kadrlar often means human resources or staff. It appears in phrases such as kadrlar bo’limi (the personnel or HR department), kadrlar siyosati (cadre policy), and kadr tayyorlash (cadre or skills development). In business and government, the word denotes both the people and the functions that manage them—recruitment, training, placement, and career development.

Across Azerbaijani, Uzbek, Kazakh, and other Turkic languages, kadrlar remains a neutral, descriptive term for the people who constitute an organization’s leadership and workforce. See also human resources and cadre.