Skills gap in the labor market of Ukraine: situation and mechanisms for overcoming it

The Strategy for the Development of Higher Education in Ukraine for 2022–2032 identifies one of the problems: a gap between the education system and the labor market, an imbalance between the demand and supply of innovative specialties, and the lack of feedback mechanisms between employers and higher education institutions. Today, the system of training specialists in Ukraine is characterized by pronounced structural problems and low efficiency indicators compared to international standards, a professional-qualification imbalance of demand and supply, and the lack of skills and competencies demanded by employers among graduates of higher education institutions. The consequences of the military aggression of the Russian Federation in Ukraine have weakened the potential of the labor market. Barriers arose for the free movement of production factors, including labor; there were losses of production facilities and infrastructure; as a result of forced migration, there are negative trends in employment and income. Digitization, automation, technological production leads to the search and involvement of new generation specialists who possess professional competences, soft & hard skills, quickly adapt to changes, consciously know how to learn throughout life through formal, informal and informal education. The article gradates the competencies and qualification skills of a modern specialist with a higher education in accordance with the socio-economic conditions of production development, the requirements of employers and key stakeholders with the aim of developing a new comprehensive system of training highly qualified specialists for the needs of the country's economy under martial law. The main reasons for the skills gap in the labor market of Ukraine are substantiated. Solving the problem of the qualification gap is defined as a complex task that involves: synergy of science, practice, employers, representatives of production and business; development of a dual system of education; improvement of conditions for students to undergo various types of practices; involvement of education seekers in research activities; development of international student exchange programs; development of educational programs on a competency-based basis, taking into account the competencies, skills, and qualifications demanded in the labor market; involvement of leading experts in the field, employers, suppliers and providers of tools/materials/equipment in the educational process; improvement of the learning process through the organization of training centers, development of the mentoring and supervision system, public-private partnership. The results of the scientific search were obtained in accordance with the complex theme of the research work "Skills gap in the labor market in the conditions of the war and post-war recovery of the economy of Ukraine" (0124U001101, 2024)