LABOR FORCE BALANCE AS A PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT TOOL FOR A TERRITORIAL COMMUNITY

Abstract

Introduction. The aggravation of the problem of providing the national economy with labor force
is mainly caused by the reduction of natural population growth in the age group of 15-70 years, largescale
emigration of able-bodied persons after the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, which led to a
shortage of labor, especially skilled personnel.
Modern problems of labor force reproduction have not only a national character, but also a
regional and local one. Today, it seems most appropriate to conduct research on these problems at the
level of territorial communities. It must be recognized that rural and settlement territorial communities
deserve special attention. However, even among these communities, there are labor-surplus and labordeficit
ones, which requires separate studies.
The territorial decentralization carried out in Ukraine, the new administrative-territorial
structure requires new methodological approaches to studying modern problems of labor force
reproduction at the regional and local levels.
These problems are particularly relevant as they will have a significant impact on providing labor
for the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine.
The purpose of the study is to clarify the current problems of forming the supply and demand for
labor at the regional and local levels, as well as to develop methodological approaches to the
development of a regional labor force balance.
Results. Today, the formation of the labor force in Ukraine takes place in the conditions of wartime,
negative demographic processes, intensive external migration of the population, especially women,
mobilization into the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine of persons of active working age. Among the
emigrants who were forced to leave Ukraine, as well as among those mobilized into the ranks of the
Armed Forces of Ukraine, the vast majority are skilled workers and specialists, which significantly
worsened the qualification structure of personnel, especially in the production sector and critical
infrastructure enterprises.
The negative social processes that took place in Ukraine in the second decade of the 21st century
hindered the establishment of population census processes, which in turn worsened the information base
for calculating the labor supply and assessing its use.
The territorial decentralization carried out in Ukraine in 2015-16 changed the administrativeterritorial
structure, determining that the primary link of the administrative structure is the territorial
community. Therefore, research on demographic problems and labor market problems should begin with
territorial communities, especially since their statistical information on the population and its
employment is currently the most representative.
Strategic plans developed in each territorial community must be based on reliable demographic
indicators as of a certain date, and forecast indicators must take into account the dynamics of their
change for at least the next 5-year period.
The text discusses methodological approaches to the development of regional and local labor
force balances, i.e., balances at the level of the region and territorial communities.
Such balances can be used as personnel management tools in conditions of labor shortage or
surplus.
Prospects. In the context of Ukraine’s post-war recovery, numerous challenges emerge in the field
of labor provision, requiring systematic scientific reflection and the implementation of effective
managerial decisions. In this regard, the following areas are considered promising directions for further
research:
- the reduction of natural and migration growth of the labor force, the shortage of personnel and
skilled workers, which will cause problems for the economic recovery in the post-war period, highlight
the need for scientific research and the development of effective methods and tools for solving labor
supply problems;
- among the methods of solving these problems, economic ones are decisive, and among them,
planning and balancing of development;
- the formation of reporting and forecast labor force balances is considered by us as tools for
operational management of the formation and use of personnel;
- for strategic planning and operational management, it is necessary that the State Statistics
Service of Ukraine publish data on the demographic and socio-economic development of territorial
communities;
- the websites of territorial communities should annually publish data on their socio-economic
and demographic development.
Keywords: demographic situation, labor force, labor force balance, territorial community.