Competitiveness of University Graduates in the Labor Market

The problems of developing professional competencies, training, retraining and advanced training of personnel are currently quite acute in the labor market in the Russian Federation. The article is devoted to assessing the competitiveness of graduates of educational institutions of higher education by analyzing the correspondence of competencies that are formed as a result of mastering educational programs of higher education and the requirements of the labor market. This study seems relevant in connection with the need to determine the directions of transformation of the Russian higher education system, caused by the global challenges of recent years and the higher education reform planned in 2023 by the President of the Russian Federation. Any changes in the education system should ultimately lead to an increase in the demand for graduates and their competitiveness in the labor market. The author reviewed studies of the competencies of the future and the skills most in demand in the labor market, as a result of which the most relevant meta-skills that are in greatest demand among employers were identified, namely: effective communications, including in foreign languages, systems thinking, the ability to solve non-standard problems and adaptability. Using the example of professions in the economic and socio-humanitarian spheres, the author analyzed the requirements for applicants set out in vacancies on the hh.ru portal. The most key skills for a number of professions were identified, and they were compared with the competencies that must be mastered by students in accordance with the Federal State Educational Standards in these areas of bachelor’s degree training. As a result, competencies were identified that require addition to educational standards and educational programs of higher education. The results obtained can be used in the practical activities of educational organizations of higher education to improve the educational process and, as a result, increase the competitiveness of their graduates.