The younger generation dictates new approaches: experts at the Symposium discussed labour market prospects

How will the perception of work change for future generations? Which skills will become crucial, and how will technologies blur the boundaries between professions? These and other questions were addressed during the interactive session "How Will Future Generations Change the Labour Market?" held on 8 October at the National Centre RUSSIA as part of the II International Symposium "Inventing the Future".

Work is increasingly becoming not only a means of earning a living but also a form of self-expression, with human-centred values — respect for individuality, balance, freedom of choice, and meaningfulness — taking centre stage. Experts agreed that the professional of the future will shape the labour market rather than merely adapt to it. During the session, they outlined a visual portrait of this new generation.

Photo: Press Office of the National Centre RUSSIA

The value of work is now becoming part of an individual’s personal philosophy, noted Antonina Selezneva, Director of the Department of Educational Activities of the EISR, Associate Professor at the Department of Sociology and Psychology of Politics, Faculty of Political Science, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Doctor of Political Sciences.

"The idea of work as a norm we follow 'because we have to' is transforming into an inner conviction that 'this idea is right'. As a result, work itself is becoming elitist. The concept of creative work stands in contrast to mass employment for its own sake," said Antonina Selezneva.

Photo: Press Office of the National Centre RUSSIA

Xi Yumin, Dean of the College of Entrepreneurship at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University and Distinguished Professor of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, noted that along with the transformation of youth values, a global crisis of traditional education has begun.

"700 universities are closing almost every day. This is a huge challenge for professors and for the teaching mindset. To keep education relevant, we have conducted a number of experiments and moved to what we call a syncretic model of education — one that integrates interdisciplinary and cross-professional approaches. We also work closely with business to drive innovation," said Xi Yumin.

Ruslan Yunusov, Co-founder of the Russian Quantum Centre, pointed out that while the boundaries between professions of the future are disappearing, a classical education remains vitally important.

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"The best thing I ever studied was mathematics — and its application in the real world, i.e., physics. These disciplines train abstract thinking, develop an understanding of cause-and-effect relationships, and teach the principles of synthesis and analysis. These cognitive methods can be applied to anything. That is why pursuing interdisciplinarity without mastering the fundamentals of science is a losing strategy," emphasised Ruslan Yunusov.

Anna Voronina, Head of the Moscow branch of Gazprom Corporate Institute, expanded on this idea, saying that the worker of the future must possess broad potential — a quality shaped by a solid foundation in fundamental sciences.

Photo: Press Office of the National Centre RUSSIA

"What matters is not only what you can do now, but what you are capable of in the future — in which areas you can grow through the meta-skills and meta-knowledge you acquire. The knowledge students often underestimate may prove extremely valuable, as it represents significant potential for development," highlighted Anna Voronina.

Yekaterina Morozova, Director of the Skolkovo Open University and Head of the "Mentor Academy" project, believes that today’s labour market is increasingly not only an employer’s market but also an employee’s market, where individuals have a wide range of opportunities to choose their own professional paths. This creates unique relationships within the labour market and establishes a new system of values.

In turn, Alexandra Didenko, Deputy Director General and Director for Education at the Melnichenko Foundation, spoke about the foundation’s practices. She emphasised that the combined efforts of corporations, universities, and charitable foundations are not enough to develop young people’s professional potential. According to her, what is needed is a unified interagency state policy that integrates the development of education, regions, and infrastructure.

Alexei Svishchev, Acting Rector of Amur State University, Candidate of Economic Sciences, and Associate Professor, touched upon the topic of artificial intelligence and the transformation of the labour market.

Photo: Press Office of the National Centre RUSSIA

"The bright future may indeed be like that: super technologies, everything done by artificial intelligence, while you focus on creativity. But to reach that future, we must first live to see it," reminded Alexei Svishchev. "Someone still has to feed us today, provide electricity to charge all these super devices — and everything else too."

The II International Symposium "Inventing the Future" took place on 7–8 October at the National Centre RUSSIA, bringing together participants from 86 countries. More than 260 Russian and international experts from China, the United States, Italy, Latin American countries, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Africa took part. The expert programme for professionals and the open programme for the public featured around 50 events. The programme and livestreams are available on the website.

The International Symposium "Inventing the Future" was organised on the instruction of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, under the auspices of the Decade of Science and Technology, with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Russia, and the Ministry of Culture of Russia. The analytical partner was the VCIOM Analytical Centre, and the literary partner was Eksmo-AST Publishing Group.