This article uses qualitative analysis to identify and categorise the values and motivations of people in informal employment in the context of socio-professional transformation in Northern Eurasian regions. A regional perspective study of informal employment profiles helps us identify local characteristics of its main forms and understand the logic behind behavioral practices of people in this social category. The following profiles are distinguished: “forced marginals” – informal employment is not their choice, but the only available means of survival, with a dominant focus on short-term gain rather than career advancement; “flexible professionals”– informal employment is their conscious choice of autonomy and flexibility, with a dominant focus on autonomy, independence, and creativity; “risky entrepreneurs” – informal employment is their way of maximizing income, with a dominant focus on achieving results at any cost to the detriment of social responsibility. “Traditionalists”– informal employment is their traditional form of labor relations, passed down from generation to generation. The dominant values are continuity, trust within a “close circle”, and reliance on personal connections. The identified profiles allowed us to differentiate the main areas of government regulation for representatives of each profile of the informally employed population, as well as to identify key areas for improving informal employment regulation policy, taking into account regional specifics.