Freelance as a modern form of employment in the labor market in socio-economic space of the city Ulyanovsk

Today in the world, the prevalence of information and telecommunication technologies (ICT) and the Internet contribute to the development of new strategies for work behavior among the population, when less formal rules are applied. This leads to the expansion of the socio-economic space of the city beyond the geographical territory. In modern society, there is a rapid development of the service sector. The introduction of modern technology allows the use of a variety of employment models. The number of temporary workers in the organization’s staff is increasing. The development of informal employment and self-employment has resulted in freelance as a new model of employment in the labor market. Unwillingness to work in an office with set hours, search for freedom in allocation of time and work, an increased interest in new technologies, are the reasons for choosing freelance as a labor strategy for young people. The article analyzes the work of domestic and foreign researchers and official statistics in the field of labor and employment. The methodological basis of the study was an online survey of 300 respondents employed in freelance and living in the city of Ulyanovsk, conducted in February-April 2018. For the analysis of empirical data, the IBM SPSS Statistics program was used. The study identified the features of freelancing in the modern labor market in the socio-economic space of the city of Ulyanovsk, revealed the degree of youth involvement in the freelance sphere, the motives for choosing freelancing as a labor strategy, described the current problems and risks faced by freelancers. The hypothesis is confirmed that the spread of freelance as a new model of employment in the labor market is due to the transformation of labor and employment processes, as well as due to the development of information and communication technologies, in particular the Internet, which allows individuals to work outside the office.