Labour Attitudes of Student Youth in the North Caucasus

In the conditions of transformations in the labour market in modern Russia due to the technological revolution, as well as geopolitical tensions and demographic problems, there increases the importance of improving programmes for training personnel for the regional economy. This circumstance determines the need to monitor the value orientations of students in the North Caucasus in the labour sphere. The presented work is based on the sociological study conducted by the Center for Political Science of the Institute of Political Studies of the Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The study was conducted in all subjects of the North Caucasian Federal District. The sample is 499 respondents. The purpose of the work is to study the labour attitudes of student youth in the North Caucasian Federal District. The study revealed that students are widely willing to move abroad or to a large city. The desire to live in a small town or a village is less common. However, in the North Caucasus, the share of those wishing to live in a small town or a village is higher than the national average, that is probably a consequence of the widespread traditional value systems in these localities, as well as multi-generational family types that encourage young people to stay at home. Students of higher education institutions of the North Caucasus Federal District note several main reasons that motivate them to move to another country. Most often, young people simply want to see the world - 56.5%, are not satisfied with the salary level - 36.5%, and another 20.8% note that there are few career prospects in Russia. The share of students planning to work in the specialty they received at the educational institution is low, which indicates the presence of structural unemployment in the region. Structural unemployment is a consequence of poorly established interaction between educational institutions (schools, colleges, universities), specialised government organisations and employers. Low wages as well are one of the main reasons for the low demand for work in the specialty. Among the most popular life goals, after graduation, students identified the following: getting a permanent job and ensuring high well-being. According to the majority of students in the North Caucasus, success is based primarily on personal qualities, such as intelligence, business acumen, entrepreneurship, professionalism, competence. A smaller proportion of surveyed students believe that achieving success in life depends on relatives, connections and acquaintances.