THE PROBLEM OF THE SKILLS GAP IN THE RUSSIAN LABOR MARKET

In the modern Russian labor market, there is a steady trend of increasing skills gap, which is caused by a number of factors, among which are the accelerated pace of technological progress, digital transformation of production processes and insufficient adaptation of the vocational education system to new economic conditions. The impact of the skills gap on the labor market is manifested in a decrease in labor productivity, an increase in staff turnover, an increase in costs for personnel training, a decrease in job satisfaction, as well as in the professional disorientation of workers. In this regard, the need for a comprehensive analysis of this problem, which is global in nature and leads to significant economic problems, is of particular relevance. The article is devoted to the analysis of the reasons for the skills gap and methods for overcoming it. The work describes the scale of the phenomenon, methods for measuring the size of the skills gap and the reasons for its occurrence and development. An analysis of existing practices to reduce the skills gap was carried out, special attention was paid to the role of the Russian higher education system in overcoming it. It is concluded that in order to overcome the skills gap, it is important to unite the efforts of all market participants: universities should become “competency factories”, business should have a more active influence on educational programs, and the state should create an infrastructure for lifelong learning.