NEW CHALLENGES IN THE RURAL LABOUR MARKET AND WAYS AND TOOLS TO BOOST IT

Abstract

Subject. A set of theoretical, methodological and applied aspects of regulating the rural labour market in pre-war conditions, during the war and its revitalisation after the abolition of martial law. Objective. To reveal the trends in the rural labour market before the war and in the context of Russian aggression and the revitalisation of rural employment in the post-war period. Methods. The research was based on general scientific and special research methods: systematic and retrospective analysis – to identify trends and changes in the scale of rural employment from 2014 to the present; formalisation, analysis and synthesis – to assess the role of individual types of economic activity in ensuring employment of the rural population at different stages of economic development; comparative analysis – to study different forms of labour involvement and their impact on rural employment. Results. The role and place of various forms of employment and types of economic activity in providing work for the rural population in the pre-war and war periods, as well as taking into account prospective changes, have been analysed. It was established that in 2015–2021, the number of rural employed persons decreased from 5.13 million to 4.83 million; the number of unemployed according to ILO methodology was 1.49–1.71 million people, of which 490-580 thousand were rural residents, depending on the phase of the economic cycle (upward trend-peak-decline-stagnation); in 2022–2025 – 187–94 thousand people. The directions for revitalising the rural labour market after the war are substantiated: restoration of livestock farming and non-agricultural types of industrial activity, financial and insurance activities, expansion of professional, scientific and technical activities. Scope of application of the results. The research results include an analysis of the reasons for changes in the structure, scale and forms of employment of the rural population in the pre-war period, during martial law and after the war. The directions for expanding economic activity have been substantiated and will be taken into account in the implementation of programmes for the restoration of rural communities and rural territories in the post-war period.