Regional features of commuting labor migration in the Ural federal district (on example of the pilot research)

The modem world and its challenges are requiring greater mobility of labor force. Labor mobility and the phenomenon of circular migration are becoming an increasingly important economic and social instrument. The Russian labor market is characterized by the formation of its relatively new type of labor mobility, which is going to meet the requirements of the modern economy and contribute to the flexibility of the market. Consideration of the current commuting labor migration makes it possible to assess, among other things, some important aspects of the socioeconomic situation in the regions of Russia. The article considers the phenomenon of circular labor migration and features of its manifestation in the Ural Federal District. The data representing the empirical base of the research was obtained by means of a questionnaire survey conducted among the population of six cities and towns of the Ural Federal District in the Sverdlovsk, Tyumen and Kurgan regions. The pilot research was conducted in the second half of 2017 by the Scientific-Technical Center a «Perspective» as part of the research project «Locality of Labor Markets of Russian Cities» with the support of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research. The findings allowed us to draw a conclusion on the demographic characteristics and age-sex structure of circular labor migrants in the region, on the frequency and causes of migration, as well as to identify the main areas of employment typical of those involved in circular migration. In general, the research results made it possible to identify the regional features of the circular labor migration and to characterize the general vector in the development of the phenomenon. The paper substantiates the need for further in-depth study of circular labor migration and its features in the regions with a view to structuring this phenomenon, revealing its functional orientation and efficiency.