Issue #1 (Volume 9 2019)

In spite of the large number of normative and legal documents dealing with gender issues, a problem of ensuring equal rights of men and women does still exist in Ukraine. The article is mainly devoted to the gender inequality of payment for labor. The purpose of the study is to highlight the peculiarities of gender asymmetry of payment for labor, to outline directions for reducing it, and to make proposals on achieving gender equality of payment for labor. The labor market analysis in 2013-2017 showed that gender gap of payment for labor depends on the type of economic activity. The study also found the largest gender-based payment gap in the highest legislative body, the Ukrainian parliament, due to the small number of women in its composition, which in some way affects all social sectors. In conclusion, a number of gender differentiation features in payment for labor were singled out. The authors had proposed ways to overcome the gender gap and suggested appropriate measures to be taken. It is necessary to establish gender quotas in the parliament and to impose fines for their non-compliance, a similar proposal applies to senior positions of state institutions. There is also a need to inform society about the topic under study, to develop programs for women in rural areas, and to introduce indicators of gender inequality in enterprise reporting.

The article presents the results of research on the interaction of subjects of social-labor relations on the basis of assessment of the state and dynamics of the main factors influencing it (on the basis of sociological studies and other data). The state and main problems of development of key subjects – trade unions and employers’ associations are analyzed, the main factors that negatively influence their activity are determined. The basic scheme used for analysis of the main social factors that determine the interaction of subjects of social and labor relations is the conceptual triad “trust – awareness – motivation”. The conditions of activating the constructive interaction of subjects of social and labor relations in the context of the principles of social responsibility and social dialogue are determined. The main ones are increasing mutual trust, creating an effective communication system, as well as having the will to reconcile interests and readiness for dialogue and compromise. The basic requirements to the modern informational-communicative strategy of interaction of subjects of social-labor relations are substantiated. In particular, they include the following: implementation of the principles of social dialogue and social responsibility; orientation on the possibilities of modern information and communication technologies; orientation on the solution of the most acute problems in the field of social-labor relations; creation of effective mechanisms of feedback between communication actors. Basing on the results of the analysis, the directions and conditions for the activation of constructive interaction between the participants of the social dialogue are proposed and substantiated, in the context of the state and dynamics of key social and socio-psychological factors.

A leading force in successful Human Resource Management is a sound motivation system that can significantly improve the efficiency of employees and companies. However, there are significant differences in the motivation of the small business staff. The article aims to identify the peculiarities of this type of motivation and develop recommendations for their practical application. More specifically, motivation process in small food businesses is identified as a subject of research. Using the methods of theoretical and statistical analysis, the article also focuses on the behavioral approach and pays special attention to individual aspirations, performance, engagement and all those vital moments that shape motivation as a psychological process. Besides, the article has described the impact of socio-economic factors on work activity, set the basic principles for small business staff motivation, outlined the prevailing financial and moral incentives and substantiated the main components of an effective motivational system for small enterprises. Most elements of this system can be applied to any small company, not only the food industry.

The relevance of the research topic is determined by the need to overcome the crisis of the Ukrainian labor market based on balancing state employment policy with other areas of social and economic policy, coordinated use of its tools aimed at forming a system of modern science-intensive jobs that meet the EU latest achievements and standards, especially in information and communication as well as digital economy. The purpose is to analyze the causes of the crisis in the domestic labor market, identify its climate dependence on the main macroeconomic and other factors and develop new approaches to the content and toolset of modern state employment policy. The processes in the labor market, their trends and driving forces are the study object. The research used methodological provisions of Keynesian and other theories and concepts of employment, graphical and correlation analysis, content analysis, classification-analytical and statistical-analytical methods. It has been proved that it is necessary to develop the internal market (by raising the incomes of the population) and raise the innovation-investment framework of employment based on increasing the reliability of the banking system, participation of the population in the stock market operations, develop non-governmental pension funds, credit unions, create real barriers against the money outflow, stimulate export activity of Ukrainian producers at the expense of competitive products with high added value. The use of the directions and instruments proposed in the article to modernize the state employment policy will help to overcome the labor market crisis, increase the population well-being, economic growth, and the country’s entry into the trajectory of sustainable socioeconomic development.

The article analyzes the current state, trends and problems of formation and development of social capital of Ukrainian companies. The key role of social capital in the processes of economic and financial efficiency is substantiated. The purpose of the study is to determine the impact of social capital and its components on the socio-economic development of the company in the current economic environment. The study of modern theoretical aspects of interpreting the essence of a company’s social capital made it possible to determine the actual interpretation of the concept. Diagnostics of the current state of social capital in Ukrainian companies is carried out using sociological research tools proposed by the authors. The article determined the main problems related to the formation and development of social capital at the company level, considered an increase of trust, development of leadership qualities of the leader, development of social interaction between employees as key factors of social capital increase at the organizational level. Besides, the conclusions on the directions of social capital development under current trends of social cohesion are substantiated.

The article deals with the transformation of the role of industry’s social potential as a determinant of sustainability in the new economy. It also scientifically substantiated the social sources and the functional impact factors. The large-scale and multi-vector changes accompanying the wave-like oscillations of post-industrial economies have been investigated; the leading trends in the development of the social potential of industry have been highlighted. Emphasis is placed on the importance of the social potential of industry in the context of implementing sound structural changes and capacity building of technologically intensive industries, increased human capital productivity, renewal of economic and social infrastructure, achieving general economic and social progress.

The transformation of the modern labor market, the development of the educational services market and changes in the field of implementation of the personnel management function are accompanied by a number of problems that be facilitated by the introduction of professional standards in personnel management in Ukraine. The relevance of this research is exacerbated by the need to move the personnel management system in the country to a new quality level, to organize work with people in accordance with international standards and best practices, and to reform the state personnel policy. Therefore, it is relevant to justify the need and opportunities of developing a personnel management professional standard, to summarize its methodological aspects, and to generate recommendations for implementing activities of HR-departments and specialized educational institutions. The article deals with the current state of scientific research and regulation of development and implementation of professional standards in personnel management. It also substantiates the influence of professional standards on the development of personnel management, the system of vocational education and the quality of supply on the labor market in the personnel management segment. Stakeholder interests are broadened to develop and implement professional standards in HR. Proposals to improve methodological support for the development of personnel management professional standards have been developed. Prospective directions of introduction and use of personnel management professional standards in Ukraine are offered.

This article deals with the integration of people with disabilities into the labor market based on the experience of the EU countries and Ukraine. There are four main components of the policy of integrating people with disabilities into the labor market, namely certain job quotas or jobseeker benefits, services provided by state employment services and non-governmental organizations, employer support, development and implementation of employment programs, including flex jobs organization. The authors highlighted the specifics of the functioning of each of these components. In particular, the expediency of setting the job quotes, the measures of employer support and certain types of activities of state and non-state services in the EU and Ukraine are discussed. Recommendations on the employer support and the implementation of EU experience in the activity of the State Employment Service of Ukraine are given. It has been proposed to develop and implement a national employment program for people with disabilities. The program consists of four stages: the analysis of public sector vacancies for people with disabilities; identifying people with disabilities who wish to occupy these positions, as well as analyzing their real needs and opportunities; adapting workplaces to the needs of people with disabilities and organizing vocational training for them; and on-the-job support.