Employment and Unemployment of the Rural Population of Kalmykia: Problems and Regulatory Issues

The article considers the problems of employment and unemployment of the rural population in the agricultural region. The difficult, crisis situation of the agricultural sector has led to a decrease in the standard of living of the rural population, unemployment, mass migration to cities and other regions of the country.
Purpose. The purpose of the article is to study the problem of employment and unemployment and to identify mechanisms of regulation of these processes in rural areas of the Republic of Kalmykia.
Methods. The article is based on statistical data on the problem of employment and unemployment in the region, the results of a sociological study, including a survey of the rural population and expert interviews with specialists of district employment services, heads and specialists of rural municipalities.
Results. The results of the survey showed that unemployment ranks first among the listed problems of life in rural areas. As a result of expert interviews, the following problems of the rural labor market were identified: lack of vacancies and imbalance in the labor market; migration of the population; mainly the predominant temporary or seasonal employment. Experts consider retraining to be an effective mechanism of employment regulation.
Discussion. Thus, the considered mechanisms of employment promotion are reactionary, temporary, do not affect the structural changes in the problems of employment and unemployment in rural areas. Lack of work, low wages force the rural population to solve the problems of their own employment, choosing migration to cities, neighboring regions, as well as through pendulum migration and informal employment.