The article examines the issue of employment and economic activity of youth (aged 15 to 29) in the Republic of Tuva, with a focus on definin
The article examines the issue of employment and economic activity of youth (aged 15 to 29) in the Republic of Tuva, with a focus on defining and outlining their socio-professional priorities and preferences. The research is based on the ethnosociological survey the author held in 2015 among various youth groups in the Republic of Tuva, as well as on official statistics and the material collected during field research in 2015-2017. The share of youth in the grand total of the regional economically active population has reached 30.8%. Unemployment in the region is largely a youth-related issue. There is no significant difference between the labor motivations and career choices of the two main ethnic groups in the region – Russians and Tuvans. A conspicuous gap exists rather between the generational groups of youth. There has been a noticeable increase in the numbers of those employed in local industries, but it is evident that this field is more appealing for Russians. Town-employed Tuvan youth works primarily in civil administration, education and medicine, while their rural counterparts are largely involved in agriculture. The variegation in opinions and preferences concerning the labor conditions and the choice of a job is extremely wide in Tuva. A certain part of its residents, including youth, still cling to the idea that the job choice is ethnospecific. A sizeable part of Tuvan respondents have shown their preference for creative jobs and those requiring an education in the humanities. Russian respondents have expressed their interests in such fields as law, finance, management or engineering. While working as a lawyer or an economist still remains in vogue, the list of “fashionable” jobs has expanded to include such jobs as bankers, managers, notaries or programmers. The young’s prioritization of material interests over other values still holds true. Competition in the labor market remains high, especially in urban areas. The majority of youth are known not only for their pragmatism, business-mindedness, but also optimism and confidence in ultimate resolution of all their problems. Over the recent years, this positive feeling has been on the rise. We conclude that in implementing various regional social programs it should be borne in mind that local youth groups have their own specific features, career orientations, motivations and preferences. In many ways, these can be linked to ethnocultural traditions of the ethnicity they belong to.
