Untapped labour potential: theoretical and methodological basic concepts of studies

Under the conditions of ongoing demographic problems coming from working-age population decline it becomes strategically valuable to find reserves and potential opportunities for enhancing the impact of labour forces. The author suggests that such reserves are kept in the process of labour potential implementation. Revealing and analyzing of untapped labour potential as well as its involvement into labour activity grow in importance; become a significant scientific and practical task. The article considers theoretical and methodological basic concepts of untapped labour potential at the regional level. The author describes key moments determining the logic of the study of untapped labour potential: definition of the term “labour potential of the region” and the choice of the approach to its studying; interpretation of the concept “labour potential implementation” and the choice of methods for the assessment of implementation level; definition of the concept and structure of untapped labour potential. The author reveals the origins of the term “labour potential”, describes five main approaches to its studying at the regional level: demographic, medical and demographic, sociological, statistical, and economic. The article reveals the essence of labour potential implementation and approaches to its studying. The author describes modern approaches to the studying and measuring untapped labour potential at the regional level.