Abstract

This scientific report presents a study conducted by the Research Center for Social and Political Monitoring of the RANEPA Institute of Social Sciences. The relevance of research. A significant part of the able-bodied population in the country is engaged in in the shadow economy, with a significant amount of funds remaining unaccounted for. There is an obvious need to resolve the conflict of interest between the state and the citizens involved in the shadow economy, to stimulate official employment and limit non-criminal shadow economic activity while maintaining a balance of interests of all economic actors. The goal of the study is to analyze and evaluate the dynamics of the involvement of various groups of the employed population in the shadow labor market, to find optimal solutions stimulating official employment and limiting non-criminal shadow economic activity. The subject of the study is the state and dynamics of the formation of the shadow labor market in modern conditions. The main research method is an all-Russian sociological survey of the employed Russian population and a comparison of the results obtained with earlier surveys. Based on the results of the study, this paper presents an analysis and assessment of the dynamics of the involvement of various groups of the employed population in various forms of shadow relations in the labor market. The study allows us to draw the following conclusions. The results of the study show that over the past two years there has been an increase in the participation of the public in the shadow economy. The largest proportion of informal workers is still noted among those employed in private practice as their main job. Among the hired workers, the share of those without formal registration remains unchanged and even increased slightly over the past year. In general, a significant share of the employed population continues to be quite loyal to various manifestations of non-criminal shadow economic activity. This situation creates the prerequisites for maintaining the involvement of the population in the shadow labor market. Among the measures contributing to the reduction of informal employment, the respondents primarily note a reduction in tax payments, a decrease in social inequality and an increase in the role of social guarantees and social protection for workers in the formal economy. The scientific novelty of this study lies in the fact that it seeks to obtain up-to-date sociological information about the main processes taking place in the shadow labor market, their development trends in a changing epidemiological and socio-economic situation. The recommendations based on the results of the study are related to the need to adjust management decisions in the field of stimulating official employment and limiting the participation of the population in the shadow labor market.