EMPLOYMENT IN CONDITIONS OF LARGE-SCALE ANTI-EPIDEMIC MEASURES: ACHIEVEMENTS, PROBLEMS, SHORTCOMINGS OF REGULATION

Abstract

The article examines the achievements, problems, shortcomings of the regulation of Ukraine’s employment and labor market in the context of large-scale measures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic; the priorities of relevant state policy’ coordination in the direction of increasing its effectiveness for social protection of employees and the self-employed, promoting crisis resilience and competitiveness of the national economy, maintaining a socially acceptable living standard and national security are outlined. The research of the COVID-19 pandemic impact on Ukraine’s employment and labor market requires not only an assessment of validity and balance of measures for mitigation and leveling of losses from forced restrictions on legally paid employment, reduction of labor income against the background of rising expenditures on the so-called mandatory services (housing, communications, partially transport) and food, narrowing the demand for workers in a number of professions and activities, but also the study of the effectiveness of government activities to implement corporate and individual opportunities and chances of expansion of the offer and manufacture of production that may be in demand in these conditions. Assessing the prospects for the development of Ukraine’s employment and labor market during the extension of quarantine and after the restrictive measures’ completion, it is reasonable to expect the unemployment growth as a result of the national economic crisis as part of the same global phenomenon caused by falling production and consumption (including reduction of their resources at the level of the state, business entities – from large to small ones, as well as households), restrictions on the transit of goods, services and the population (tourist flows, workforce). Prospects for the stabilization of Ukraine’s employment in the post-quarantine period are closely related to systemic measures for: economy’ diversification and innovative modernization; raising the minimum wage, directly consistent with the social subsistence level; implementation of targeted programs to support the unemployed, as well as active programs to stimulate employment and self-employment incentives.