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ECONOMIC RESEARCH

TITLE

Increasing Labor Productivity in Conditions of Staff Shortage at Enterprises in the Sverdlovsk Region
Ruslan A. Dolzhenko, Svetlana B. Dolzhenko

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INDEX

RAR (Research Article Report)

JEL J24, E24

https://doi.org/10.52180/1999-9836_2025_21_4_4_546_561

AUTHORS

Ruslan A. Dolzhenko

Ural State University of Economics, Ekaterinburg, Russia

e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3524-3005

SPIN-код: 8576-4140

РИНЦ Author ID: 617562

ResearcherID: J-2847-2015

Svetlana B. Dolzhenko

Ural State University of Economics, Ekaterinburg, Russia

e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2575-9588

SPIN-код: 8557-7373

РИНЦ Author ID: 148831

ResearcherID: B-5311-2018

FOR CITATION

Dolzhenko R.A., Dolzhenko S.B. Increasing Labor Productivity in Conditions of Staff Shortage at Enterprises in the Sverdlovsk Region. Uroven' Zhizni Naseleniya Regionov Rossii=Living Standards of the Population in the Regions of Russia. 2025;21(1):546-561. https://doi.org/10.52180/1999-9836_2025_21_4_4_546_561 (In Russ.)

Abstract

In the context of the ongoing changes, employers are faced with a persistent shortage of staff. The situation is aggravated by the fact that large industrial enterprises are significantly increasing their production volumes due to a change in production chains, sales channels, and government orders. To ensure them, the business aims to increase labor productivity by using various reserves. At the same time, companies face a number of limitations that prevent them from achieving their goals in this direction. The aim is to study the directions and possibilities of increasing labor productivity at industrial enterprises in the Sverdlovsk region from the positions of heads of enterprises and HR directors, identifying existing limitations and suggesting ways to overcome the difficulties that have arisen. The key research methods were surveys conducted among industrial enterprises of the Sverdlovsk region, as well as among employers and employees of enterprises. The survey of managers showed that in conditions of personnel shortage, the importance of increasing labor productivity increases, the need for an integrated approach to efficiency, including restructuring business models and overall improvement of activities, and not just local changes, but many projects in this area are perceived as costs. The main growth reserves are associated with more efficient use of personnel. It is necessary to eliminate discrepancies between employee motivation and existing incentive systems. The main methods of increasing productivity are training, digitalization, automation and lean manufacturing. The hypothesis has been confirmed that the existing shortage of labor resources and low levels of automation significantly reduce the growth rate of labor productivity at enterprises in the Sverdlovsk region, and it is necessary to implement systemic organizational solutions and innovative approaches that ensure an effective increase in labor productivity in the region.

Keywords

labor productivity, industrial enterprises, growth reserves, personnel shortage, regional labor productivity, enterprise managers, enterprise personnel

Acknowledgments

the study was supported by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation No. 24-28-20469 and the Sverdlovsk Region

AUTHORS BIOGRAFY

Ruslan A. Dolzhenko

Doctor of Economics, Professor of the Department of Labor Economics and Personnel Management, Ural State 
University of Economics

Svetlana B. Dolzhenko

PhD in Economicss, Head of the Department of Labor Economics and Personnel Management, Ural State 
University of Economics

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