Strategies for Adapting Companies to the Turbulence Caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic

The purpose of the study is to reveal the specifics of the turbulent business environment formed by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to substantiate the most effective strategies for adapting companies to ensure their rapid adaptation to new conditions. The authors proved that the COVID-19 pandemic has created a new turbulent environment for business activities (due to the suddenness and intensity of infection with the virus;high level of globalization;inclusion of each individual;blocking and reduced socio-economic mobility;uncertainty of the timing and consequences of the spread of the virus). The authors determined that the pandemic qualitatively strengthened the trend associated with “slowing down globalization” and consolidating the diversification of world centers of influence, and also became a catalyst for a number of structural shifts. The authors analyze the possibilities of implementing various strategies for adapting companies in a turbulent business environment. It is concluded that an ambivalent strategy, which allows companies to use separate elements of the cost reduction strategy and investment strategy at different stages of adaptation, has the greatest potential for effective implementation by companies in conditions of turbulence. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Regional Aspects of Unemployment in Russia: Structural Approach

The study is aimed at identifying specific features and patterns of unemployment development in the Russian regions of using a structural approach, as well as forming recommendations for overcoming them. The article analyzes the dynamics of official unemployment in the regions of Russia, and also reveals the load of the unemployed population registered with the employment service bodies per one declared vacancy. The trend of reducing the number of foreign citizens who have a valid work permit in the regions of Russia in the period 2010–2019 is revealed. The analysis of unemployment in the regions of Russia by gender, age and type of settlements is carried out. It is proved that the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly changed the emerging positive trends in the labor market and employment in the regions of Russia. Its negative impact was manifested in the growth of the official unemployment rate in most regions of Russia. The article identifies the key directions of state policy to overcome negative trends in the labor market and maintain employment. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON OECD COUNTRIES

The study aims to study the socio-economic features of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economic systems of the OECD countries, as well as to analyze the measures taken by states for their subsequent adaptation in the economies affected by the crisis. The authors identified the OECD countries with the highest number of cases of coronavirus, which demonstrated positive dynamics of socio-economic indicators after a significant recession due to the pandemic (USA, France, Germany, Italy, Great Britain, Spain). The article analyzes the dynamics of key socio-economic indicators that characterize the development of the OECD countries under study in 2020 compared to the same period in 2019 (unemployment rate, inflation rate, gross national savings, exports and imports of goods and services). The measures implemented by states to stabilize economic activity and maintain social well-being during the pandemic are studied. The authors concluded that the economic and social measures taken by the OECD countries under study are common and that the results of their implementation differ significantly. It is proved that Germany is the country that has most successfully implemented a package of anti-crisis measures based on an effective monetary policy and direct state support for the real sector, which allowed it to maintain the volume of export–import operations and gross savings at the pre-crisis level, prevent an inflationary jump in the country and not exacerbate the problems with increasing unemployment. Germany’s experience in creating a basis for overcoming the global economic crisis can be adapted to the conditions of the countries most affected by the pandemic. © 2022 by Emerald Publishing Limited.

Labor Market and Employment Problems: Analysis of Long-Term Dynamics and Prospects of Development in Russian Regions

The study was aimed at conducting a comprehensive analysis of the long-term dynamics of the labor market in the Russian regions, as well as evaluating the effectiveness of the implemented state policy to maintain employment and reduce unemployment during the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis of long-term trends in the labor market allowed the authors to identify and assess the “tension” points of the current model of the Russian labor market including a decrease in the number of employed in 2010–2019, a decline in the level of employment in the regions, a reduced average annual number of employed in the system-forming sectors of the economy (agriculture, manufacturing, education, and healthcare), the existence of a discrepancy between the level of official and hidden unemployment. The authors calculated the level of tension in the labor market and formed a relevant rating of Russian regions. The authors assessed the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the long-term dynamics of the Russian labor market at the federal district level. The mass transfer of employees to remote work mode required the implementation of emergency measures to stimulate employment in the regions. The authors propose a set of measures to overcome the reduction in the level of employment and the growth of unemployment in the long term to form an effective model of the Russian labor market. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

E-Commerce Market: Intensification of Development During the Pandemic

The study provides a comparative analysis of the impact of the pandemic on the situation of the e-commerce market in various countries and also identifies areas for improving the structure of the e-commerce market in Russia in the long term. The authors have established the prerequisites for the intensification of the development of the e-commerce market, including the expansion of access to the Internet, the growth of users of mobile devices and social networks;the gradually weakening offline retail sector;the implemented state policy of regulating the e-commerce market. The advantages of e-commerce over other forms of offline retail are established. It is shown that China and the United States are leaders in terms of the volume of the e-commerce market and its share in the retail segment. The authors analyzed the dynamics of the development of the e-commerce market in some countries during the COVID-2019 pandemic. It is proved that during the pandemic, the increase in Internet connections, quarantine measures and institutional restrictions of states provoked the growth of the e-commerce market in most countries. It is emphasized that the largest growth of the e-commerce market during the pandemic occurred in the United States, Great Britain, Poland, and Russia. The authors justified the directions of the state policy on improving the e-commerce market in Russia. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

E-Commerce as a Driver of Economic Growth in Russia

The purpose of this study is to assess the state and potential of the e - Commerce sector as a driver of economic growth in Russia. The article confirms three research hypotheses: 1) the dynamics of the Russian e-Commerce sector development has its own country specifics;2) the e-Commerce sector development is a factor of economic growth in Russia;3) the period of the Covid 2019 pandemic is the beginning of the intensification of the e-Commerce sector development in Russia. It is revealed that the level of the Russian e-Commerce sector development is significantly behind the dynamics of e-Commerce development in China, United States, Great Britain and Germany, and Russia is not included in the group of countries with fast-growing markets. The contribution of e-Commerce to the Russian economy in 2019 amounted to 2% of GDP, the dominant sectors in the e-Commerce market in Russia are B2C and C2C. Using the methods of correlation, covariance and variance analysis, the authors proved that the e-Commerce development has a significant impact on the dynamics of economic growth in Russia, and stimulating its development will allow for future GDP growth in the country. Analysis of the e-Commerce dynamics in Russia during the Covid 2019 pandemic showed a significant growth of the sector in the first months of the epidemic, which may be the beginning of a new stage in the e-Commerce development in Russia. © 2021, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.