Employees’ self-realization in different working conditions

The article analyzes the problems of self-actualization of modern workers depending on different working conditions: employed/unemployed; in the formal or informal sector of the economy; working arrangements - full-time or part-time, flexible schedule; availability of material and non-material incentives. The relevance of the issues under consideration is determined not only by economic necessity, but also by the importance of preventing the risks of dehumanization of the labor sphere, which reduce professional satisfaction and motivation to work. The empirical basis of the analysis was formed by the data of the Comprehensive Observation of Living Conditions of the Population by Rosstat (2014-2022), as well as the sociological study “Employment Quality and Human Development” conducted in the Republic of Bashkortostan (2020). Based on the combination of two sociological variables (professional satisfaction, conformity of work to the specialty), we identify and consider six groups of workers with different degrees of self-actualization. The research shows that the key problem is the low level of professional satisfaction of the overwhelming majority (70%) of those working by specialty and half of those working not by specialty. The higher the education level of a worker, the higher is their unsatisfied need to use their knowledge and ideas at work. We have revealed a contradiction requiring further research: despite the fact that more often professional satisfaction is characteristic of those working outside their specialty; representatives of this group are on average less likely to feel pride in relation to their work and have less favorable indicators of life satisfaction in general. Further research, in our opinion, should be aimed at solving this contradiction, improving the methodology of analysis, including indicators of the presence of motivation, attitudes or conscious actions of the employee aimed at professional (career) growth. Gender, age and generational (related to life stages), territorial and sectoral aspects of professional self-actualization is also worth studying.