SOCIO-POLITICAL RISKS AND RESERVES OF THE RUSSIAN YOUTH LABOR POTENTIAL

Abstract

Introduction. The article addresses the issue of “economic pessimism” among the young generation of workers, stemming from youth's conviction that their labor efforts do not guarantee worthy remuneration. The article's goal is to analyze the socio-political factors hindering the politicization of economic pessimism and limiting the sustainable growth of the labor potential of Russian youth.

Materials and methods. The empirical basis of the study draws on data from the nationwide sociological monitoring survey “How Are You, Russia?”. The research employs comparative analysis, index-based measurement of subjective attitudes, and content analysis of official policy documents. The key analytical group comprises respondents who agree with the statement: “No matter how hard you work, you cannot ensure your material well-being”.

Results and conclusions. Each year, at least 30% of Russian youth (38.2% in 2025) reject the link between labor and material well-being, yet maintain high loyalty toward federal state institutions. Through intergroup comparison, the study reconstructs a comprehensive profile of the “labor pessimist”: not a marginalized individual, but a socially integrated labor market participant disillusioned with the fairness of the system, whose passivity is sustained by trust in the state as a guarantor of order rather than prosperity.

The findings reveal a growing contradiction between the possession of labor competencies and the willingness to realize them – signaling an erosion of labor potential as a systemic resource. Young people do not reject work per se, but lose faith in its capacity to ensure a decent standard of living. Under these conditions, the state is reinterpreted not as an engine of social mobility, but as a pillar of stability, which preserves political legitimacy even as the economic pillar of the social contract erodes. High loyalty functions as a latent reserve that offsets economic pessimism; however, this situational stability remains fragile. Potential destabilizing triggers – external or internal crises, weakening security guarantees, or deepening social inequality – may activate accumulated discontent.

Discussion. For youth policy, these results underscore the need to move beyond formal employment indicators toward rebuilding trust in the core principles of social justice and the institution of labor itself – through transparent mobility mechanisms, fair wages, and the reduction of gender disparities. Ignoring these challenges continues to fuel a hidden reservoir of social tension.