An insufficient number of affordable places in Russia's preschool system is affecting the educational development of many young children and reducing the number of mothers who could be working in the economy.

Research data show that higher education in Russia is less of a vehicle of upward mobility than it was in earlier times, not least because it is becoming less of an advantage as the percentage of people with degrees increases. This raises questions about what the goals of higher education should be, and of how to prepare young people for the job…

The poor fit between the specialties and employment opportunities of university graduates in Russia requires rethinking the way that higher education in Russia operates. Russia's economic future, and avoiding social unrest due to high unemployment or underemployment, is dependent on changing the education-employment linkages.

Data from a comparative study of the educational, career, and migration strategies of rural school students in Russia, China, and Kazakhstan show high levels of educational aspiration. This is likely to increase the flow of population to urban areas, to increase the rate of urbanization, and to have demographic and economic consequences that will…

The social, economic, and cultural changes that occurred in Russia following the collapse of the Soviet Union have combined to impose severe damage on the population, and not the least on Russia's young people. The provision of new forms of social and economic support are needed, as well as new youth programs, if further damage is to be…

The weak connection between Russia's system of higher education and the labor market in Russia requires that greater attention be paid to preparing students for successful, employment. This will require more careful research into best practices, and the development of more effective links between employers and educational institutions.

In Belarus, the ways in which statistics are compiled, the complex rules for registering as unemployed, and the segmentation of the labor market and job-seeking activities, all combine to hide the actual levels of employment and unemployment. This in turn makes it difficult to develop appropriate and effective labor policies, and to have support…

In an increasingly global age, university students need to prepare themselves to be competitive in both domestic and foreign labor markets. This involves the acquisition of foreign languages, experience of a variety of educational and professional settings, and becoming part of influential networks. The case of Tomsk Polytechnical University…

The social and economic development of the country was subjected to serious trials in 2009. The world financial and economic crisis had a negative effect on the main basic indicators of the economy. This had an immediate impact on the social labor sphere. Many social indicators went downhill. In particular, that led to a decline in real wages and…

The latest scheduled Sorokin Readings on "Global Social Turbulence and Russia," a topic whose relevance has been confirmed by events of the past 10 years, were held on 6-7 December at Moscow State University. One key factor that keeps such turbulence in check is the education level as a factor of a high standard of living. The array of problems in…

The increasing desire to obtain a higher education in Russia is causing a growing disparity between educational qualifications and the needs of the labor market. Blue-collar jobs of varying levels are difficult to fill, and the demand for the qualification of those with degrees is not sufficient to avoid high levels of unemployment. Ways need to…

The training of professional cadres for the economy as it transitions to innovative development must take account of the current state of the labor market as well as tendencies in workers' labor mobility. These tendencies reflect the degree of concentration and reproduction of labor potential in various forms of economic activity, and define…

Many young people in Russia find it difficult to move into employment, and given the importance of a more efficient labor force for Russia's economic future, more needs to be done by the Russian government to improve the situation. Under current conditions, the state's activity in regard to solving issues of protecting the interests of young…

In the USSR, higher education was focused on the training of narrow specialists who had mastered a particular set of professional knowledge in one field. In post-Soviet Russia, however, universities are not able to train people with the qualification demanded by the labor market. To overcome this problem, a closer connection between businesses and…

Young Russians are facing a work career that is very different from that of previous generations, and matching education with the job market is especially difficult. Their chances of finding a job are very affected by the factor of unemployment. In spite of a relatively high level of unemployment, young people in Russia are being flexible in their…