TRANSFORMATION OF THE LABOR MARKET IN THE TOURISM INDUSTRY IN THE POST-PANDEMIC PERIOD: RUSSIAN TRENDS AND REGIONAL SPECIFICS OF ALTAI KRAI

Lee Tatyana Vladimirovna

The article examines the processes of labor market transformation in the tourism industry during the post-pandemic period, using Altai Krai as a case study. It is shown that the recovery of domestic tourism after the COVID-19 pandemic is accompanied by structural changes in employment, manifested in a reduction of the labor reserve, an increase in the share of unstable forms of employment, and an intensification of the shortage of qualified personnel. The aim of the study is to identify key trends in the development of the tourism labor market in the post-pandemic period, taking into account nationwide processes and the regional specifics of Altai Krai. The methodological framework of the study includes statistical and comparative analysis, as well as an analysis of official data from Rosstat and federal and regional tourism authorities. It has been established that the recovery of tourist flows in 2022–2024 is not accompanied by a corresponding increase in employment. At the regional level, a persistent imbalance is forming between the demand for tourism services and the capacity to reproduce the industry’s workforce. The presence of a health-resort complex in Altai Krai plays a stabilizing role in the labor market, providing relative employment stability; however, this factor does not offset the labor shortage in seasonal segments of tourism activities. The study concludes that the labor shortage in the tourism industry has a structural character, caused by a combination of seasonal employment, insufficient attractiveness of working conditions, and inter-industry outflow of workers. The results can be used to develop regional employment policies and improve mechanisms for staffing the tourism industry.

Keywords:tourism; labor market; employment in tourism; tourism industry; labor shortage; seasonal employment; regional economy; Altai Krai; health-resort complex; post-pandemic transformation