Social perceptions of work and service as factors motivating young professionals in municipal services
The article is devoted to the analysis of social representations of “work” and “service” as key factors of motivation of young professionals in municipal service bodies. The relevance of the study is due to the need to attract highly motivated young personnel with innovative potential to improve the efficiency of local self-government. However, despite the steady scientific interest in the problems of management at different levels of government, the specifics of the municipal sphere, its attractiveness and motivation for young people remain insufficiently studied. The key problem is the contradiction between the need for personnel focused on public “service” and the prevalence of an instrumental attitude towards work as “job” that provides personal benefits among young people. The purpose of this article is to substantiate the social perceptions of “work” and “service” as factors motivating young professionals to enter municipal service. Based on data from sociological studies conducted by VTsIOM and the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration in 1997-2025, the hypothesis about the dual nature of motivation was confirmed. It was revealed that pragmatic motives (prestige, stability, and connections) remain dominant, but there is an increase in the importance of the content and meaning of work (social utility and realization of potential). Young professionals want to see that their work is valuable and contributes to solving important social issues. The hypothesis about the growing importance of the content and meaning of work as factors of motivation was confirmed. The conclusions argue that in order to increase the attractiveness of municipal service, it is necessary not only to create comfortable conditions and increase the material support for employees, but also to actively promote the image of “service”. The success of personnel policy depends on the ability to combine pragmatic and meaningful approaches, providing young professionals with opportunities for professional self-realization and real impact on social processes.
Prokazina, N. V. (2025), “Social perceptions of work and service as factors motivating young professionals in municipal services”, Research Result. Sociology and management, 11 (3), 316-332. DOI: 10.18413/2408-9338-2025-11-3-1-8.
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The article is based on the results of research carried out at the expense of budget funds under the state assignment of the Financial University.