REGIONAL ASPECTS OF EMPLOYMENT IN UKRAINE: REALITIES, CHALLENGES, WAYS TO SOLVE PROBLEMS

Abstract

The work is devoted to the study of regional peculiarities of employment in Ukraine, which is an urgent issue in terms of ensuring the sustainability of the national economy in the context of war. Attention is paid to the peculiarities of the formation of demand and supply in the field of employment, the problems and challenges caused by the war and the signs of stabilization and recovery of the labor market are identified, which shows its adaptability to the existing conditions of uncertainty. The study was conducted on the basis of comparative analysis, statistical data and real-life situations to assess changes in labor supply and demand, and the characteristics of employment in the regions of Ukraine in the context of military aggression. Particular attention is paid to the employment of internally displaced persons, and the problems of their use in regional labor markets are outlined. The study of these issues shows that there are many risks in the field of employment. The growth of labor supply is observed mainly in regions remote from the combat zone. A long-term war causes structural changes in the development of regions and the country as a whole, which affects the demand for labor and exacerbates the issue of the need for labor resources. The growing shortage of personnel is manifested against the backdrop of rising unemployment. A significant level of unemployment is found in the country's industrial regions, due to security factors. There is also a large number of unemployed people in the regions where a large number of IDPs reside. The problem of unmet labor demand and unemployment is caused by the imbalance of educational and professional tools of labor markets, low labor mobility, shortcomings in employment regulation at the national and regional levels, and the lack of social elevators. The article summarizes the main challenges of destabilization of regional labor markets and proposes new approaches to the possibilities of regulating regional employment in order to ensure the sustainability of economic development in wartime and post-war. The proposed measures to stabilize employment are aimed at solving important problems of the labor market, equalizing imbalances and regional inequalities in the use of labor, which can contribute to the activation of the country's labor potential and the recovery of the Ukrainian economy as a whole.