CREATIVE COMPETENCY OF THE POPULATION (ON EXAMPLE THE MATERIALS OF THE VOLOGDA REGION): AGE ASPECT

The increasing intellectualization of labor and the dynamic development of economic sectors that require innovative skills in professional tasks (IT professions, engineering, creative industries) demonstrate that the economy requires workers with rationalization and innovation skills, as well as the ability to find new ideas and work methods. The potential of older workers is of particular interest. An analysis of scientific sources revealed that human creativity can be embodied in a specific type of human competence. The aim of the study is to examine the characteristics of creative competence in the population (based on data from the Vologda Region), taking into account their age characteristics. The information base was data from labor potential quality monitoring conducted by the Volgograd Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, including the construction of contingency tables and correlation analysis. In this study, creative competence is understood as a specific type of competency, the given model of which includes a positive attitude toward creative activity, the creative application of knowledge, skills, and abilities, and methods for creatively performing professional tasks, reflected in a combination of creative components (personal, cognitive, operational-activity, and initiative-motivated). It was found that individual components of creative competence are expressed differently among respondents of different age groups, and the implementation of creative competence tends to decline. The majority of respondents of all age groups engage in rationalization or innovative activities out of necessity. This is most typical for representatives of the “50 and older” age group, who also exhibit a lower inclination toward self-development. The author concludes that this may depend not on age factors, but on a skeptical attitude toward the effectiveness of skills development practices and employment characteristics. Recommendations are offered. The results will be useful for federal and regional government agencies, recruiting agencies, and enterprise departments for the development of HR policies.