The labour migration processes in the Far East

Migration is one of the most important demographic processes that determine the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of the population of the country and the region for a long period. In addition, labour migration, or rather its direction, gives an outflow or inflow of population from less prosperous regions to more economically developed regions. As you know, most of the labor migration is provided by the most mobile part of the population, these are workers aged 30 – 40 years, with a high level of education and skills. Thus, the territories with negative migration selection reduce their chances of both development of labor potential and development of the region's economy as a whole.

The consolidation of labor resources is the basis for the formation of the labor potential of the region and an important part of the entire policy of regional development, especially for such remote and strategically important areas as the South of the Far East and Primorsky Region in particular.

In the conditions of a significant gap in the economic and social development of the regions of the Russian Federation, in the Primorsky territory there are a number of negative trends – the natural decline of the population and migration outflow of the working-age population in the first place. For two decades there has been a constant decline in the population of Primorsky Krai, so the population over 15 years from 2000 decreased from 2130,7 thousand people to 1933.5 thousand people, the population decline was 197,2 thousand people (10,2 %) for this period, which is a fairly large value [1]. Thus, the population decreased by an average of 13.15 thousand people per year, and in the period from 2000 to 2005, the decline was 103 thousand people, i.e. more than half. This surge can also be explained by the impact of adverse socio-economic conditions in the region as early as the mid-and late 1990s, as the demographic processes have a significant inertia and delayed manifestations.

In 2014, the reasons for the decline in the population of Primorye was the natural decline of the population – 24.2% of the total population and migration outflow – 75.8%. In the same year, 30 thousand people from other regions of Russia and from abroad arrived in the region, and 34 thousand people left, and the number of arrivals to permanent residence from other countries in 2014 decreased by 8.4% compared to 2013 [2].

According to the given forecast (table 1), the population of Primorye will steadily decline in the coming decades and will decrease from 1921 thousand people in 2018 to 1875 thousand people in 2036 [1].

Table 1

Predictable population of Primorsky Region from 2018 to 2036

It can also be assumed that the migration decline will continue to be much higher than the natural decline of the population during this period.

Primorsky Region is steadily losing its population due to migration, including labor, and at the same time accepts fewer and fewer migrants for permanent residence, that is, it can be argued that the region is becoming less attractive for people who connect their lives, including labor, with our region.

Migration in the region is a kind of indicator of socio-economic development of the region, is directly related to the situation in the labor market, the level of employment and unemployment, the structure of employment.

It should also be noted the unfavorable trends in the labor market, affecting the desire of the population to leave the region, especially young people.

In the structure of employment of the population of Primorsky Region in 2014. The average age of the employed population is 40.6, the average age of the unemployed is slightly less than the average age of the employed population is 36.6 years, with young people (age 20-29) being 34.9% of the total number of unemployed, and the unemployment rate in this age group is almost twice the average level in the region. We can note the relatively low level of unemployment, but also a significant proportion of young people among the unemployed, which makes it important to create new jobs for young workers and favorable social conditions of residence in the region for the entire population and young people in particular.

Thus, to create favorable conditions for the establishment of labor resources of the region, including young people, can offer the following activities.

• 1.    Creation of high-tech industries in the region, focused on high quality and, as a result, the competitiveness of products. We should not forget about the development and modernization of existing industrial enterprises belonging to the traditional industries of Primorye (machine building, shipbuilding and aircraft building, instrument engineering, fishing and fish processing, timber processing and mining and metallurgical production)

• 2.    The development of social infrastructure as a condition of improving the quality of life of the population, including economically active, and to keep the population not only the high quality of social services, but also their outstripping nature in comparison with other regions of the country.

• 3.    Improving the structure of the regional market of educational services and the quality of training of future employees in different segments of the labor market, to be more precise, the expectations of the employer and the needs of the labor force within the region; as well as promoting social responsibility of business in relation to existing and potential employees.