Conceptual Imperatives For Optimizing Labor Migration Flows From Ukraine

The purpose of the article is to substantiate the impact of labor migration of citizens abroad on the international competitiveness of the country, as well as to outline the conceptual imperatives of optimizing the flows of labor migration from Ukraine to preserve the human capital of the country. Methodology. During the study, the dialectical method of scientific knowledge was used, as well as methods of scientific abstraction, generalization of analysis and synthesis, deduction and induction, the method of statistical and comparative analysis, the graphical method. Results. To identify the reasons for the threatening scale of Ukrainian labor emigration, the country's ranking positions in international rankings of economic freedom, ease of doing business, safest countries to live in, global competitiveness, investment attractiveness index and the Global Innovation Index were studied. Competitive advantages and threats to the Ukrainian labor market are described. Practical implications. It is proposed to reduce the excessive volume of labor migration from the country through the use of innovation potential (given the obvious competitive advantages of Ukraine in the innovation sphere, according to the authors, they have the potential for optimal adjustment of labor migration from Ukraine). A conceptual scheme for the optimization of labor migration flows from Ukraine has been developed. It is based on the assertion that human capacity building in the field of innovation is possible through international innovative cooperation in the system of higher education; one of the main opportunities for rapid innovative development of Ukraine is the participation in international innovation clusters (the application of cluster policy will contribute to the competitiveness of economic entities due to the potential of effective interaction between its participants due to their close geographical location, provides increased access to innovation, technology and highly skilled personnel, as well as reduced transaction costs; clustering is an effective mechanism for attracting foreign direct investment; the integration of national clusters into global value chains can significantly increase the level of the national technological base, increase the speed and quality of economic growth by increasing the international competitiveness of enterprises in the cluster. Value/originality. The scientific novelty of the results obtained consists in deepening the theoretical and methodological foundations and developing practical approaches to the optimization of labor migration flows from Ukraine to ensure an adequate level of international competitiveness of the country. In particular, a conceptual scheme for the optimization of Ukraine's participation in migration processes has been substantiated and the steps of Ukraine's innovation policy for the preservation of the country's human capital have been outlined.