Value preferences and adaptation strategies of Russian and Kazakh university graduates to the modern labor market

The article analyzes the value preferences influencing the adaptation strategies of Russian and Kazakh university graduates to the modern labor market based on empirical sociological research data. In the context of the global economic crisis and the “Great Recession”, young people have serious problems with employment, as employers focus on other, more competitive socio-demographic groups of employees. The value preferences of university graduates largely have a decisive impact on the professional fulfillment of young professionals. Changes in their inherent axiological orientations are an indicator of radical transformations in the education system and the labor market. Sociological analysis of the value preferences of Russian and Kazakh university graduates showed that Russians are more focused on instrumental values in the formation of adaptation strategies to the modern labor market, while Kazakh citizens are more focused on terminal values. The results of the study are important to consider in the implementation of youth policy in Russia and Kazakhstan.