New forms of employment in Russia: From legal uncertainty to systemic regulation

The relevance of the study stems from the rapid proliferation of new forms of employment in the context of economic digitalization, a process that is outpacing the development of adequate institutional frameworks and thereby generating systemic socio-economic risks. The aim of the paper is to conduct a comparative analysis of expert assessments regarding the current level, barriers, and prospects for the institutionalization of new employment forms in Russia, drawing on a regional case study. The scientific novelty lies in the application of a structured research-expert seminar (focus group) methodology to purposefully juxtapose the perspectives of two key stakeholder groups: labor market professionals (n = 23) and young people directly engaged in new forms of employment (n = 25). The main findings confirm a consensus on the relatively low level of institutionalization. The study reveals a fundamental duality in the perception of the phenomenon under analysis: professional experts predominantly view institutionalization as a "project", focusing on macro-level regulation and investment, whereas young people tend to see it as an "outcome", emphasizing practical guarantees, rights protection, and technological infrastructure. Both expert groups identify legal uncertainty and a crisis of trust in the state – an entity simultaneously regarded as the principal agent of change and a source of systemic obstacles – as the key barriers. The groups' recommendations diverge: professionals primarily propose systemic modernization of regulatory and analytical institutions, while young people express a demand for specific digital services and protective tools. A limitation of the study is its regional focus. A promising avenue for future research is the quantitative verification of the identified criteria and hypotheses using broader datasets.