Генезис та еволюція Державної служби зайнятості: історичні етапи, сучасні виклики та перспективи розвитку

The article provides a thorough legal analysis of the institutional framework for the functioning, evolution and adaptation of the State Employment Service of Ukraine to the current challenges caused by socio-economic, political and legal transformations. The author examines the historical development of the State policy in the field of employment, and identifies six stages of formation of the State Employment Service of Ukraine, starting from its statutory consolidation in the 1990s and up to the current period of reforms due to European integration processes, global crisis phenomena, the COVID-19 pandemic and the consequences of armed aggression against Ukraine. The author investigates the impact of socio-economic and political transformations on the functioning of the SES, in particular, its role in ensuring state regulation of the labour market, legal mechanisms for social protection of the unemployed and implementation of state policies to support internally displaced persons under martial law. It is substantiated that in the context of the armed conflict, the State Employment Service has undergone significant organisational and legal changes aimed at maintaining economic stability, expanding digital administrative tools, introducing remote formats for the provision of administrative services, and implementing programmes for professional adaptation and retraining of persons who lost their jobs as a result of the crisis. The author analyses the main directions of modernisation of legal regulation of employment in accordance with European standards, including adaptation of regulatory mechanisms to the principles of the European Social Charter and gradual integration of Ukraine into the European labour market by expanding cooperation with the European Employment Service (EURES). Particular attention is paid to the international legal aspects of the SES activities, which include the implementation of Ukraine’s international obligations in the field of employment and social protection, harmonisation of the national social insurance system with the legal standards of the European Union, and participation in international technical assistance programmes aimed at strengthening the institutional capacity of public administration bodies in the field of employment. Based on the results of the study, the author formulates a number of legal conclusions and proposals for improving the legal regulation of the State employment policy, optimising the mechanisms of the State labour market management and strengthening the legal guarantees of social protection of citizens. It is proved that further reform of the State Employment Service and its integration into the European legal area is a prerequisite for ensuring socio-economic stability, increasing employment and developing modern mechanisms of legal regulation of labour relations in the public law sphere.