Modern-day Russia and the problems of the “silver” generation in the digital millennium

Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, Institute of Industrial Management, Economics and Trade, Higher School of Economics and Trade, 195251 Polytechnicheskaya st. 29, Russian Federation

^* Corresponding author: elena.korchagina@mail.ru

Abstract

An important peculiarity of the future economy is principal change in the labor market structure determined by demographic factors one of which is significant increase of pension aged population. This age group becomes the key potential resource of increasing the number of employed people in all the developed and in some developing countries. Population with graying hair becomes a powerful resource for development of economy of a new type which has received a poetic name – “silver” economy. Studying the problems and prospects of developing the “silver” economy is one of the most actual scientific tasks of the modern time. The second important tendency of the modern era is vigorous development of technologies and transition to digital economy. Successful involvement in the changing labor market requires confident mastering of modern informational communicational technologies. However, this task is a certain challenge for representatives of the “silver generation”. A review of foreign studies on the problems of the influence of demographic changes at the labor market of developed countries on the structure and quality of labor force is represented in the article; a dynamics of using modern digital technologies by representatives of the “silver generation” is described; the instruments of stimulating the use of modern information technologies in older age groups are distinguished. The analysis of demographic tendencies in Russia is conducted; the necessity of involving employable representatives of older age groups in the labor market is justified. On the basis of the empirical study undertaken by the authors, the peculiarities of value orientations at work places of representatives of different age groups are distinguished and characterized, and also key psychological characteristics of representatives of the elder generations of employees as members of work collectives are described.