Workforce and Stimulation of Economic Growth in Russia

The presented study determines the prerequisites for accelerating economic growth and improving the quality of socio-economic development by modernizing approaches to the regulation of the labor market and reproduction of labor potential. Aim . The study aims to identify problems in ensuring economic growth in Russia by the workforce and to propose approaches to solving these problems. Tasks . The authors characterize the current rate and prospects of changes in economic growth in Russia; describe the problems of ensuring economic growth from the perspective of a factorial approach (through the example of the labor factor); analyze the causes of labor market imbalance and inefficient provision of workforce for the economy; propose recommendations on improving the process of ensuring economic growth by the workforce at the current stage of development of the Russian economy. Methods . This study applies methods of institutional, structural, and statistical analysis to the processes of economic growth and socio-economic development. A factorial approach to the description of economic growth is used during the analysis of this phenomenon. Its rate is determined by the quantity and quality of (resource) production factors. The labor factor is thoroughly analyzed. The problems of ensuring economic growth in Russia by the workforce are examined from the perspective of the systems approach using methodological techniques of variant and situation analysis. Results . The study substantiates the opinion that the modern Russian economy has stalled in a state of near-zero growth, mostly due to the low efficiency of the implemented socio-economic policy. It is therefore necessary to increase the rate of economic growth. The authors use the factorial approach (through the example of the labor factor) to examine the sufficiency of resourcing of economic growth with production factors. It is shown that, in light of the recent pension reform, workforce in modern Russia is sufficient and even superfluous. The key qualitative problems in the operation of the labor market are comprehensively analyzed, including the structural and quantitative discrepancy between specialist training in the educational system and labor requirements; overeducation of the population (people perform work that requires lower qualification than their actual level of education and/or professional training). This study shows the specificity of these problems and provides recommendations on solving them, which requires revising approaches to the development and implementation of the state economic policy. Conclusions . Russia has the resource capabilities (in terms of workforce) to intensify economic growth and make a breakthrough in socio-economic development. Analysis of the existing problems in this field shows that these issues can be solved. However, this requires a focused, systematic effort spearheaded by the government, which is impossible without improving the implemented state economic policy.