SPATIAL FEATURES OF THE LABOR POTENTIAL DISTRIBUTION IN THE KALININGRAD REGION

Abstract

The Kaliningrad region is most susceptible to economic and geopolitical changes because of its exclave
position. This study examines the spatial distribution of labor resources in the area. The relevance of the study is due to
the problem of ensuring balanced development of the region's territory and its economic security. The work uses known
indicators characterizing labor potential from different perspectives. To characterize the demographic component, the
author uses the sex-age structure and the share of the working-age population; in addition, this study introduces the share
of residents born in the region (rootedness of the population) as a key indicator. The economic component is analyzed
from the perspective of labor force participation and employment rate. The educational component is assessed through
the share of the population with higher education and the number of educational institutions. The creative component
includes the share of self-employed population. The migration component of the labor potential comprises the intensity
of the migration balance of the working-age population. The main attention is paid to the cartographic display of the
research results, which made it possible to identify spatial patterns of socio-economic processes in the Kaliningrad region.
The study has shown that the labor potential is highly concentrated in the western part of the region – in Kaliningrad (the
core of the Kaliningrad agglomeration) and its closest satellites (Guryevsk, Zelenogradsk, Svetly). The municipalities that
are part of the agglomeration are most attractive for migration since the main economic, educational, innovative, and
creative potential of the region is concentrated here. This is facilitated by the flow of population within the region in two
directions: from east to west and from village to city. The east of the region is characterized by labor potential with a low
level of education; at the same time, its development is positively influenced by entrepreneurial activity in agriculture and
the educational infrastructure of secondary vocational education. Further concentration of the population in the regional
center creates a threat of exceeding the demographic capacity in the west of the region and increasing the demographic
burden in the east.