Labor activity of the population of retirement age as a factor in socio-economic development of the territory

The problem of population ageing in Russia is increasingly attracting attention of scientists and politicians. Long ago researchers recognized the irreversibility of the population ageing process in the conditions of narrowed population reproduction, but the measures to mitigate the consequences in our country, unlike Western countries, are not well developed yet. Population ageing with high probability leads to the change in labor market functioning due to the reduction in the share of able-bodied population and children and, consequently, the permanent increase in the proportion of older people in the total number of population. In these conditions the effective realization of resource potential of the older generation becomes one of the most important factors in socio-economic development of the territory. This article is aimed at studying the changes and specifics of labor activity of the population of retirement age on the example of the Vologda Oblast. The first part of the article is devoted to the main aspects of the impact of population ageing on economic development. It considers the prerequisites for the formation of the regressive age structure of population in the country and the region, determines the level of “age” of Russia and the Vologda Oblast. It identifies the features of population ageing of the region and its districts and the underlying factors of transformation of the age structure of the territory. The second part of the article presents the analysis of changes in the economic activity of the population of retirement age in the Vologda Oblast, the structure of employment of the older generation. On the basis of the sociological survey data the author describes the key incentives to continue working in retirement age, the current level of employment of seniors, and the difference between actual and nominal retirement age, etc. The main conclusion of the article is the following: the population of retirement age in the Vologda Oblast has considerable resource potential. Its realization can be a significant factor in socio-economic development of the territory in the conditions of population aging. For this purpose it is necessary to create comfortable conditions for the employment of older people at the level of regional authorities and business structures.