The Need for Workforce in Constituent Entities of the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation

In the first quarter of the 21st century, the Arctic and everything connected with it remains a popular topic in the humanitarian, socio-economic and political spheres. It is especially relevant for Russia, which has the largest polar sector in the world. An integrated approach to the study and analysis of development prospects of the Arctic territories can create conditions for sustainable socio-economic development not only in the Arctic zone of Russia, but also in Russia as a whole. One of the elements of this approach is the need for skilled workforce at the enterprises of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation; this topic is considered in the paper. The relevance of the topic stems from the need to implement large-scale investment projects for development of mineral resources and transport infrastructure (megaprojects), the need to address long-term tasks of socio-economic development of the Russian Arctic and ensure national security in the region. All these points are contained in the strategy for development of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation until 2020. Statistical evaluation of demographic processes indicates a continuous outflow of population from the majority of subjects of the Arctic zone of Russia. This happens both due to natural reasons and as a result of emigration, including the emigration of working age individuals. Scientific novelty of the paper consists in its comprehensive approach: using analytical and sociological methods, we analyze the need for labor force in the real sector of the economy in the Russian Arctic. We consider the possibilities of the higher education system to meet such needs. It is established that the emigration of able-bodied population from the subjects of the Russian Arctic and the launch of megaprojects can be considered as factors in the formation of the need for labor resources in the subjects of the Arctic zone of Russia. Further scientific search in the chosen topic consists in the following points: development of methods for long-term forecasting of the needs of economic entities in labor force against the background of its outflow from the Arctic zone, additional substantiation of the medium-term need and the possibility of its implementation through higher education, and search for an alternative to corporate data on the need for workforce.