THE DEVALUATION OF EDUCATION IN THE DIGITAL AGE IN A COAL–MINING REGION: HIGHER EDUCATION CEASES TO BE A GUARANTEE OF HIGH INCOMES

This study explores the relationship between education, as a fundamental component of human capital, and labor compensation. The introduction emphasizes that the recognition of human capital’s value emerged in the mid‑XNUMXth century during the transition to new technological paradigms, including advancements in nanotechnology and the digital economy. The main body of the research analyzes the connection between education levels and wages using job vacancy data from the Ministry of Labor and Employment of Kuzbass. The scientific novelty of the article lies in identifying and substantiating the devaluation of higher education in the region through modeling, correlation-regression analysis, and statistical methods. The study employs econometric modeling in Gretl software to assess the impact of education levels on wages in the labor market, using the Kemerovo Oblast (Kuzbass) as a case study. All models passed requisite statistical tests (Student’s *t*-test, Fisher’s criterion) to confirm their validity. Correlation-regression analysis reveals that specialists with postgraduate education earn lower wages than those with higher or vocational education. Similarly, individuals with higher education are offered lower salaries compared to those with vocational training (including initial professional education) or even no formal professional education. The econometric models starkly illustrate a regional educational paradox: higher education no longer guarantees high income.