I. S. Stepus, V. A. Gurtov, E. A. Pitukhin, I. V. Rodion. Dynamics of the Age and Gender Structure of Workers in the Russian Arctic Zone: Regional Characteristics

https://doi.org/10.15507/2413-1407.26342.393-414
EDN: https://elibrary.ru/sridgdISSN 2413-1407
УДК / UDC 316.4:331.5(470.1/.2) ISSN 2587-8549

Abstract

Introduction. Current demographic shifts, characterized by declining birth rates and an aging population, are transforming the employment structure in strategically important territories. The Russian Arctic zone faces an acute labor shortage, exacerbated by harsh climate conditions and the specific nature of labor practices. The aim of this study is to identify changes in the number and age and gender composition of workers in ten Arctic regions using an alternative data source.

Materials and Methods. The data base consisted of anonymized data from the Social Fund of Russia on individuals for whom employers pay insurance contributions, as well as data from the Federal State Statistics Service on the resident population. The indicators are grouped by gender and annual age categories for the period 2018–2023. Dynamic and structural analysis methods were used to process the data, including the construction of age and gender pyramids and the assessment of regional ratios of the number of wor­kers to the resident population.

Results. Over the study period, a steady decline in the cohort of young workers aged 25–35, reaching a combined 25 %, was recorded across all Arctic regions. A decrease in the population aged 14–35 was accompanied by an increase in the proportion of individuals over 65, indicating that these regions are transitioning to the category of older populations. The pension reform's insignificant impact on retaining older age groups was confirmed due to the favorable northern conditions. Stable regional differentiation was identified: in four autonomous okrugs (Yamal-Nenets, Khanty-Mansi, Nenets, and Chukotka), the number of male workers of active working age exceeds the permanent male population, quantitatively confirming the scale of rotational replacement migration. In regions of the European North (Murmansk and Arkhangelsk Region, and the Komi and Karelia Republics), the proportion of workers does not exceed the corresponding demographic indicators.

Conclusion. The study's findings demonstrate the Arctic labor market's critical dependence on external labor flows and identify gaps in strategic planning. These findings can be used to adjust human resources policies and improve the macroregion's economic security.

Keywords: Arctic zone of the Russian Federation, labor market, age structure of employment, young wor­kers, pension reform, demographic aging, labor migration, shift work

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Funding. The study was supported by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation, project No. 22-78-10148 “Motivational Drivers in the Dynamics of Human Resource Flows in the Russian Arctic: Trends, Challenges, Prospects”.

For citation: Stepus I.S., Gurtov V.A., Pitukhin E.A., Rodion I.V. Dynamics of the Age and Gender Structure of Workers in the Russian Arctic Zone: Regional Characteristics. Russian Journal of Regional Studies. 2026;34(2):393–414. https://doi.org/10.15507/2413-1407.26342.393-414

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About the authors:

Irina S. Stepus, Cand.Sci. (Econ.), Head of Forecasting Department, Budget Monitoring Center of Petrozavodsk State University (33 Prospekt Lenina, Petrozavodsk 185910, Russian Federation), ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5070-0273, Researcher ID: H-1098-2016, Scopus ID: 57197761821, SPIN-code: 4827-1957, stepus@petrsu.ru

Valery A. Gurtov, Dr.Sci. (Phys. and Math.), Professor, Director, Budget Monitoring Center of Petrozavodsk State University (33 Prospekt Lenina, Petrozavodsk 185910, Russian Federation), ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2442-7389, Researcher ID: D-5286-2015, Scopus ID: 7003923431, SPIN-code: 4180-0970, vgurt@petrsu.ru

Evgene A. Pitukhin, Dr.Sci. (Engrg.) Head of Analitical Department, Budget Monitoring Center of Petrozavodsk State University (33 Prospekt Lenina, Petrozavodsk 185910, Russian Federation), ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7021-2995, Researcher ID: H-4562-2016, Scopus ID: 65045119166, SPIN-код: 2318-8378, eugene@petrsu.ru

Inna V. Rodion, Specialist of Forecasting Department, Budget Monitoring Center of Petrozavodsk State University (33 Prospekt Lenina, Petrozavodsk 185910, Russian Federation), ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6243-4010, SPIN-code 6461-9993, irodion@petrsu.ru

Contribution of the authors:

I. S. Stepus – funding acquisition; project administration; investigation; writing – original draft preparation.

V. A. Gurtov – supervision; conceptualization; investigation; writing – review and editing.

E. A. Pitukhin – methodology; investigation; writing – review and editing.

I. V. Rodion – investigation; formal analysis; visualization.

Availability of data and materials. The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the authors on reasonable request.

The authors have read and approved the final manuscript.

Submitted 12.03.2025; revised 16.06.2025; accepted 01.07.2025.