THE IMPACT OF QUALITATIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF YOUTH’S LABOR POTENTIAL ON WORK PERFORMANCE

Abstract

Introduction. Due to an aging population and a decreasing share of younger people in the workforce, the quality of the labor potential has become crucial for the country's economic development. The prospects for economic growth and the competitiveness of organizations, industries, and countries largely depend on the development of the professional and personal qualities of young people. The aim of this study is to analyze changes in the quality characteristics of young people's labor potential over recent decades and their relationship with work performance (case study of the Vologda Oblast).

Materials and methods. The information base consists of data from official statistics and monitoring of the labor potential quality of the Vologda Oblast population, which has been carried out since 1997 by the Vologda Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The annual sample consisted of 1500 people. The study used index-based methods to calculate the quality of youth labor potential and work performance, with correlation and regression analysis identifying the relationship between the qualitative characteristics of labor potential and youth work performance. The calculations have been performed using IBM SPSS Statistics software.

Results and conclusions. The dynamics of the quality of the labor potential among modern youth has been presented, and their competitive advantages have been highlighted. There is an increase in psychophysiological potential, which probably indicates a high level of adaptability of youth to situations of instability. A steady increase in the communicative potential, social activity of young people and their moral level has been revealed. This may indicate their response to relevant demands of the service economy, as well as skills in teamwork, sociability and stress tolerance, which are in demand on the labor market. The high level of these parameters allows young people to achieve high work performance. The weaknesses include a steady decline in the cognitive and creative potential of youth, which can pose risks to the innovative development of the economy and the quality of human capital.

Discussion. Within the framework of educational programs, it is necessary to intensify the formation of cognitive and creative potential (as failing components of quality of labor potential), as well as moral guidelines for young people, which act as key predictors of work performance. The prospects of the research relate to the analysis of external factors that may affect the work performance, such as organizational, motivational ones and working conditions. The study also aims to investigate gender and settlement-based differences in the quality of young people's labor potential.