Measurement and assessment of human resources in information economy: substantive and methodological aspect

 The article deals with substantive and methodological aspects of measuring and assessing human resources, one of the main factors of the information economy development, in which productivity and quality of life are closely related to human resource development and the conditions that determine it. Given the importance of an objective assessment of human resources, which is one of the tools for managing socio-economic processes, improving the methodological base in this area remains relevant even in the context of a variety of existing approaches and methodological options. The purpose of the article is to review and analyze the existing methodological base for assessing human resources at the country (regional) level, as well as to form a substantive basis for our own methodology. The information base of the article is the most relevant and cited works of Russian and foreign scientists published in the 2000–2020s. The review and analysis of the works revealed methodological similarity of the studies, diversity of used indicators, diversity of criteria for grouping indicators, interdisciplinarity of measurements, consideration of human resources as a factor determining economic development, consideration of the factor of informatization (digitalization) of the economy. The following weaknesses of the existing methodical base were identified: lack of a unified understanding of the category of “human resources” and some related categories, complexity of selecting indicators and indirectness of assessments, mixing different types of indicators in one measurement procedure, shift towards assessing the socio-demographic component, underestimation of feedback in the interaction of human resources with the economic, social, institutional environment, underdeveloped synthesis of traditional and digital methods. Based on the analysis results, the substantive part of the author’s methodology has been formed, which includes an improved methodological approach to assessing human resources of a country (region), as well as an assessment algorithm, a system of initial indicators and a set of calculated integral parameters corresponding to this approach. The developed methodology will allow assessing the human resources through the activity of forming necessary infrastructure, accumulation and use (assessment of processes), as well as through the levels of formation and efficiency of using human resources (assessment of states).