Proceedings From the Conference on the Impact of Housing Affordability on Economic Development and Regional Labor Markets

Housing affordability is an important component of economic development. It affects several levers for regional growth, including business formation, through wealth building and influencing entrepreneurship. Housing affordability also affects location decisions—of both labor and employers. These proceedings document findings from research presented at a conference titled “The Impact of Housing Affordability on Economic Development and Regional Labor Markets” sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta and the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research. The analysis presented at the conference suggests that higher-cost housing can trigger productive workers to leave markets and may limit the ability of workers, especially African American workers, to enter the labor market. At the same time, large economic development projects can displace workers. Research suggests that land use regulation is a driver of housing affordability; typically, higher levels of regulation lead to higher costs. Also, the efforts of economic developers affect local policies, like regulation and zoning, to attract firms. Discussion at the conference suggested housing issues be more integral to economic development policy and that new and expanded measures of housing affordability be used to track affordability.

EMPLOYMENT AS ONE OF KAZAKHSTAN'S SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC POLICY TOOLS

В статье отмечается, что в Казахстане за последний период наблюдается снижение занятости населения при одновременном повышении уровня безработицы. Формирование новых реальностей в области занятости заставляет по-новому рассматривать расстановку сил между рынком и государством, работником и работодателем. В связи с этим актуализируется вопрос выбора инструментов социально- экономической политики, ориентированной на стимулирование занятости в Казахстане. Проведен анализ основных индикаторов рынка труда Казахстана, рассмотрена структура наемных работников по статусу занятости за последние годы, удельный вес распределения занятого населения по видам экономической деятельности, уровень оплаты труда на предприятиях и организациях, занимающихся предпринимательской деятельностью. Авторы отмечают, что основным направлением в области занятости населения является обеспечение внутренней и внешней конкурентоспособности малого и среднего бизнеса. Изучение динамики процесса региональных рынков труда, выявление основных причин незащищенной занятости и выявление существующих преград перехода на постоянную работу, усиление функций службы занятости должны стать основными задачами государственных органов занятости. Для развития данной сферы государство должно продолжить создавать конкурентоспособную среду, распространение необходимых знаний, усиление работы профсоюзов и улучшение механизмов диалога с частным сектором. The article notes that in Kazakhstan over the last period there has been a decrease in employment of the population, while the level of unemployment has increased. The formation of new realities in the field of employment forces us to consider in a new way the balance of power between the market and the state, the worker and the employer. In this regard, the issue of choosing instruments of socio-economic policy focused on stimulating employment in Kazakhstan is becoming topical. The analysis of the main indicators of the labor market in Kazakhstan is carried out, the structure of hired workers by the status of employment in recent years, the proportion of the distribution of the employed population by types of economic activity, the level of remuneration at enterprises and organizations engaged in entrepreneurial activity. The authors note that the main direction in the field of employment is to ensure the internal and external competitiveness of small and medium-sized businesses. Studying the dynamics of the process of regional labor markets, identifying the main causes of insecure employment and identifying existing barriers to the transition to permanent work, strengthening the functions of the employment service should become the main tasks of state employment agencies. To develop this area, the state must continue to create a competitive environment, disseminate the necessary knowledge, strengthen the work of trade unions and improve mechanisms for dialogue with the private sector.

Labor Markets in Resource-Type Regions

The modern economic literature has accumulated enough data indicating that labor markets have local specifics, and a single all-Russian labor market is an abstraction. Therefore, the characterization of the Russian labor market as a system of separate regional markets is very important. The purpose of this paper is to determine the functional characteristics of the labor markets of resource-type regions, to identify the features of their state. We used Rosstat data for 2005–2006, 2008, 2013, 2016–2019, as well as microdata from a sample labor force survey conducted by Rosstat in 2019. It is shown that the factor of resource dependence has some effect on the parameters of regional labor markets, but only in combination with other factors (climatic, demographic, spatial, structural and sectoral). In various regions the influence of this factors can be very different. The cluster analysis made it possible to identify some effects of the influence of the resource dependence on labor markets. Firstly, only a very high level of resource dependence of regions is accompanied by a positive and complex influence on regional labor markets. Secondly, resource dependence of regions provides labor market parameters at least at the national average. From the point of view of state regulation labor markets in regions with a high level of resource dependence deserve special attention. At the same time, the main area of activity should be efforts to diversify the economy at the expense of resource rent. This requires the development of new approaches to the interaction of regional authorities with mining companies based in resource-type regions.

A Sociogenetic Approach to Migration and Urbanization in Peruvian Amazonia

This chapter addresses what is termed “sociogenetic cosmopolitanism,” the dynamic interplay of social and genetic forces underpinning migration and urbanization. The constant movement of people and communities in Peru’s Huallaga River Valley is influenced by the variegated ecosystems of the Amazon, the vagaries of regional labor markets, and the exigencies of sociopolitical life in Peru. Four primary causes of migration in the Huallaga Valley are addressed: (1) environment and political economy, (2) infrastructure, (3) lifeways, and (4) violence and social upheaval. The consequences of modern migration and urbanization in Peruvian Amazonia include a marked transition in biodemography, an increase in genetic diversity markers, and a discernable shift in nucleotide-level population architecture. Profound sociocultural transformations, namely a move from rural and agrarian-based lifeways to urban, market-driven experiences, have accompanied such trends.

The Need for Regional Labor Markets for Mid-Level Specialists and the Priorities of Graduates of Secondary Vocational Education in Employment Issues

The article considers the problems of imbalance of supply and demand in regional labor markets, as well as the role of career guidance in choosing a profession. The article discloses the main management decisions for regulating reception targets, taking into account labor market requirements. The authors give examples of calculating the imbalance of supply and demand in personnel in regional labor markets using the example of the region’s need for mid-level medical workers. The article considers the aspects of employment of graduates of professional educational organizations, including labor migration and international experience. As a result of the study, the authors identified and formulated the general laws of labor migration of graduates of professional educational organizations and solutions to reduce the outflow of labor resources from the region. Separately, the authors examined the employment of graduates of the SVE (secondary vocational education) system in Moscow and St. Petersburg. The article was completed within the framework of the topic of the State Task of the RANEPA N 11.5 “Study of models for the transformation of regional systems of secondary vocational education and their need for resource support” for 2021.

IMPROVING THE EFFICIENCY OF DEVELOPMENT OF REGIONAL LABOR MARKETS BY SOLVING THE PROBLEM OF PROFESSIONAL TRAINING

The purpose of the article is to highlight the problems of providing regional labor markets with qualified personnel and identify ways of effective interaction between educational institutions and enterprises. The theoretical significance of the article is that it, based on an experimental study conducted in the Donetsk region, analyzed the reasons for dissatisfaction of enterprises with the quality of professional training; the existing experience of cooperation between educational institutions and enterprises of the region is analyzed; barriers have been identified that prevent the establishment of an effective partnership between educational institutions and enterprises aimed at meeting the existing and future needs of the labor market in qualified personnel; the level of readiness of enterprises of the region to cooperate with institutions in the direction of modernization of material and technical base, internship of teachers, joint preparation of educational programs, advanced training of personnel is analyzed; on the basis of the analysis of results of survey it was identified professions for which it is advisable to start professional traininin in vocational institutions in Donetsk region; the model of competencies of the future skilled worker elaborated by employers is presented (on the example of the profession «Locksmith for repair of wheeled vehicles. Driver of motor vehicles (category «C»). Machinist of a truck crane»). The practical significance of the article is that based on the opinion of employers of Donetsk region, the authors offer recommendations to improve the interaction between educational institutions and enterprises of Donetsk region to solve the problem of professional training for current and future needs of the region’s economy. The presented recommendations and research model can be extrapolated to the effective development of labor markets in other regions of the country. It was revealed that the modern labor market in particular in Donetsk region is characterized by significant disparities between demand and supply of personnel (almost all vacancies in terms of occupations have a deficit, i.e. supply (number of unemployed) exceeds demand). There is a great lack of vacancies in the professions of auxiliary worker, driver of vehicles, seller of food products, seller of non-food products, cook. Instead, the scarce professions that are in demand in the labor market are a machinist bypassing turbine equipment, a locksmith repairing steam and gas turbine equipment, a machinist bypassing boiler equipment, an electrician servicing electrical installations, a kneading machine operator, a plumber, a nanny, an electrician for repair and installation of cable lines, a pipe and billet cutter, an extruder of refractory products. It is determined that the system of training of future skilled workers in educational institutions of the region needs significant modernization, as there are currently significant discrepancies between the level of preparation of graduates for professional activities and the requirements of employers. The difficulty of adaptation of graduates in the workplace is associated with the lack of certain professional competencies and personal qualities, the development of which should be paid attention to in the process of initial professional training in educational institutions — practical training, experience, practical knowlwdge), motivation to work. Deficits are also responsibility, independence, purposefulness, level of qualification. It was found that cooperation between educational institutions and employers is still carried out in traditional forms — the internships of students of educational institutions on the basis of enterprises, the participation of employees in assessing the quality of training. The prevalence of formal interaction significantly determines the quality of training for the needs of regional labor markets. The directions of personnel professional training for actual and perspective needs of the region labour market are singled out: excavator driver, car mechanic, electric gas welder, locksmith-repairman, electrician, turner, crane driver, confectioner cooker. The structure of the competency model of future skilled workers was identified — basic and professional competencies — that will ensure rapid adaptation and effective work of graduates at enterprises of the region. It is determined that for the effective development of regional labor markets and effective training for them the key is to implement the idea of public-private partnership of educational institutions and employers, the most effective forms of which should be cooperation in curricula development, advising on their content, methods and technologies of the educational process, providing recommendations for updating equipment, providing teaching materials, assistance in updating the library fund, databases, to ensure the educational process in the institution (invitation of so-called guest speakers), professional development of teachers and masters of industrial training, joint project activities, implementation of career guidance activities, organization of excursions of students and entrants to enterprises, informing about employment opportunities at enterprises, lobbying the interests of the institution at the level of local governments, participation in determining the development strategy of the institution, assistance in the process of attraction of additional sources of financing, creation of advisory bodies of the educational institution (advisory committee in the specialty, supervisory boards, etc.). Keywords: regional labor markets, professional training, educational institutions, institutions of professional (vocational) education, efficiency, professional training. JEL Classification I21, L33 Formulas: 0; fig.: 0; tabl.: 0; bibl.: 9

Long-Term Trends in Regional Labor Markets in Russia

Introduction. Unemployment is one of the fundamental issues of macroeconomics and has a significant impact on the socio-economic development of regions and the country as a whole. Based on the results of the conducted study, the article identifies the correlation between unemployment and volumes of output in the regions of the Russian Federation. Materials and Methods. The paper used open statistical data for 79 constituent entities of the Russian Federation. The methods of comparative, economic, and statistical analysis were used to identify the trends in the development of regional labor markets. The trends of the labor market, including the correlation between the gross regional product and the unemployment rate, were studied based on the economic and statistical models and the statistical data for Russian regions for 1997–2017. Results. The study has revealed the increasing discrepancy between the aggregates of the labor market – the registered unemployment rate and the unemployment rate according to the conducted sample surveys of the population. The inertia of the indicator of “the registered unemployment rate”, associated with the institutional constraints of the labor market, has been shown. The slow response of the gross regional product to the change in the aggregates of unemployment has been revealed. No clear correlation has been observed between volumes of output and changes in the unemployment rate according to the methodology of the International Labour Organization based on the data from the sample labor force surveys. Discussion and Conclusion. The increasing divergence of aggregates of unemployment reveals a distortion of the formal institutional environment of the labor market and is due to the financial constraints of public authorities. Further research will focus on the assessment of the impact of the sectoral structure of the economy on the closeness of the correlation between changes in the gross regional product and the aggregates of the labor market. Understanding the trends in the development of the labor market is necessary for conducting a balanced policy of managing its transformation and the socio-economic development of the regions and the country as a whole.

Functioning of the Regional Labor Market in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic

The global spread of COVID-19 has also affected the labor market. The government's medical and epidemiological measures created the prerequisites for another socio-economic crisis. Since the pandemic is associated with the preservation of the human resource, therefore, its consequences assessment is relevant. This paper explores the special parameters that can characterize trends in the social and labor sphere. The data from the Territorial Body of State Statistics for the Irkutsk Region (Irkutskstat) for the years 2018-2019 and for the 1st half of the 2020 year used as the information base of the study. It was revealed that the regional labor markets reacted adequately to the crisis signals of the spread of the coronavirus. The regional labor market indicators have negative trends and reflect the growing social tension. The study results show the increasing volume of retirement. By way of example, the share of people seeking work and recognized as unemployed have significantly increased for first half of 2020. The declared number of workers who are going to be laid off has almost doubled (by 193 %). This means that the number of unemployed will grow steadily. In these conditions, it is necessary to carry out monthly monitoring of changes in the situation in the regional labor market. The phenomenon of using remote work requires a separate study.