Digitalization of work and transformation of professions: challenges for sustainable deve­lopment

In the context of digital transformation, the global economy is facing unprecedented changes in the field of labor. The digitization of labor and the transformation of professions is an ambivalent process that simultaneously opens up new opportunities and creates structural risks. Automation, platform employment, and flexible forms of work are transforming the professional structure and creating both new opportunities and risks. The digitalization of work is causing qualitative changes in the structure of employment. Professions based on routine tasks and low digital skills are disappearing—cashiers, archivists, dispatchers, telemarketers, call center operators. They are being replaced by automated systems, algorithms, and chatbots. On the other hand, the labor market is in dire need of specialists with competencies in IT, data analytics, cybersecurity, digital design, and digital project management. These professions are showing steady growth in demand even in conditions of economic instability. In this regard, it is reasonable to consider the dynamics of the growth in the number of freelancers in Ukraine and Azerbaijan until 2025. The labor market is changing rapidly: routine professions are disappearing, new forms of employment are emerging, and competition for digital skills is intensifying. These processes require flexible and responsible policies aimed at reducing digital inequality, developing 21st-century skills, and adapting legislation to the realities of the digital economy. Thus, only a human-centered approach to the digitalization of labor, where priority is given to social sustainability, inclusiveness, and accessibility, can ensure not only increased efficiency but also real sustainable development. The article analyzes key trends in the digitalization of labor, changes in the job market, and the social consequences of these processes. Particular attention is paid to a comparative analysis of the situation in Azerbaijan and Ukraine.