STRUCTURE AND SEGMENTATION OF THE LABOR MARKET OF THE DONETSK PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC: EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS OF THE VACANCY FIELD

Under conditions of geopolitical uncertainty, economic isolation, and the absence of official statistics, the vacancy landscape is regarded as a key indicator of real labor demand. The study reveals the dual nature of the labor market: on the one hand, there is active development of post-industrial sectors – particularly the IT industry – indicating the region’s potential for integration into cross-border digital markets; on the other hand, there remains a strong dependence on traditional and low-skilled segments (retail trade, personal services, unskilled labor). The dominance of micro- and small enterprises alongside the marginal role of the public sector is shown to constrain social stability and investment in human capital. A structural imbalance is identified between high demand for highly specialized professionals and a critical shortage of vacancies in socially significant occupations, pointing to a disintegration between the vocational education system and the real labor market. Particular attention is paid to the deformation of the educational sphere, manifested in a tenfold excess of tutor vacancies over those for school teachers. Based on these findings, strategic directions for state employment policy are proposed: aligning educational programs with economic needs, incentivizing the growth of medium-sized enterprises, strengthening the social function of the public sector, promoting digital inclusion, and legalizing platform-based forms of employment. This study contributes to the emerging field of research on “gray zones” of the global economy by demonstrating the efficacy of analyzing the digital footprint of labor demand as a methodological alternative to traditional statistics.