The central topic of the study was to examine the possibilities of adaptation of the labor force to the structural shifts and conditions of the market economy from the period of the early 1990-s to nowadays in Russia. A large amount of statistical material was used to analyze the professional qualifi cation and educational structure of the employed and unemployed, the change in the social role of occupation. The author focuses on such the most signifi cant form of adaptation as regulated – changes in the educational and professional level of the labour force. The following spontaneous forms of employment were considered: informal employment (the analysis of empirical data of their professional and educational structure was also carried out); internal labor migration; a model of social economy was proposed in the form of a self-organizing labor force based on the experience of some countries. Prospects for change are considered taking into account the arrival of a new generation, its diff erences compared to previous generations, as well as in the light of the impact of institutional and historical factors.