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Finance and Management
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A study of the territorial differentiation of wages for agricultural workers and monetary incomes of the population by municipal and urban districts

Burda Aleksei Grigor'evich

Doctor of Economics

Professor, Department of Economic Cybernetics, Kuban State Agrarian University

350044, Russia, Krasnodarskii krai, g. Krasnodar, ul. Kalinina, 13, kab. 209 ek

agburda@mail.ru
Other publications by this author
 

 

DOI:

10.25136/2409-7802.2024.3.71430

EDN:

SHDVBN

Received:

09-08-2024


Published:

01-09-2024


Abstract: The publication examines the differentiation of wages in the agricultural sector of the Russian economy, compares it with the general situation in the country, identifies regional and gender differences, analyzes the volume of social benefits and taxable monetary incomes of the population by municipal districts and urban districts of Kuban. The changing socio-economic environment, business conditions and the economic situation in the country and the world encourage the development of certain aspects of the problem of territorial differentiation of wages for agricultural workers and monetary incomes of the population, taking into account the current labor market conditions. Wage differentiation is one of the factors of income inequality of the population, it affects the stratification of the population in terms of living standards. Districts and urban districts of the Krasnodar Territory differ in terms of population, income and social benefits per inhabitant. The research applied general scientific methods of scientific cognition, statistical groupings, methods of economic analysis and data visualization. It has been found that, in the whole country, women's wages are growing faster than men's. However, the opposite situation is observed in agriculture: the growth rate of women's wages is lower than that of men. The relationship between the population of municipal districts and the income level in the Krasnodar Territory has been revealed. In large municipalities, where there are more job opportunities, the income level is higher. There is a significant differentiation of wages in agriculture in the Russian Federation by region and gender. It is necessary to improve the remuneration system in such a way that it takes into account the contribution of each employee to the overall result, its effectiveness and industry characteristics. Studies of cyclical wage fluctuations, including the seasonal component, as well as the real level of wages in the regions of the country and fair wages of employees of agricultural organizations seem promising.


Keywords:

agriculture, economics, wages, differentiation, cash income of the population, social payments, Federal District, Krasnodarskiy kray, gender differentiation, municipality

This article is automatically translated. You can find original text of the article here.

Introduction

Wages are the main source of labor reproduction, both in the national economy as a whole and in the agricultural sector of the economy. Fair and decent wages are an important factor in motivating work, a necessary condition for rural development and ensuring the food sovereignty of our country. The issues of territorial and sectoral wage differentiation traditionally attract the attention of many scientists [1-6], which confirms the need for constant monitoring of the level of wages in the agricultural sector. Not only domestic but also foreign scientists are interested in various aspects of wage differentiation. Thus, S. Madan, considering wage differences in the manufacturing and service sectors, identifies factors specific to employees (education, work experience, gender and marital status), which explain about half of the fluctuations in employee wages, and factors specific to the company (nature, size, type and location of the enterprise) Explaining only 12-17% of the variation in wage levels, it concludes that the quality of human capital is not only important for reducing wage differentiation, but also contributes to increasing its level [7]. In our opinion, it is also necessary to take into account the number of residents of municipal and urban districts in which organizations are located, since this parameter affects the amount of wages.

An assessment of intra-industry differentiation of wages by categories of workers in agricultural organizations, natural and climatic microzones and municipal districts of the Saratov region showed that the inter-district range of average monthly wages is 2.2 times [8]. The presence of significant wage differentiation in general for all types of economic activity and in agriculture by federal districts is also noted by representatives of academic science [9]. E. V. Reprintseva spoke about the significant differentiation of the average wage level in the context of economic activities in the period 2014-2018 [10].

However, the changing socio-economic environment, business conditions and the economic situation in the country and the world encourage the development of certain aspects of the problem under consideration, taking into account the current labor market conditions. The purpose of the work is to study the territorial differences in the level of remuneration of agricultural workers and the monetary income of the population by municipal and urban districts.

Achieving this goal involves solving the following tasks:

- to consider the differentiation of wages in the agricultural sector of the Russian economy,

- to compare the salaries of agricultural workers in various federal districts with the established industry earnings in the country as a whole,

- to identify gender differences in the level of wages in the agricultural sector and compare them with the corresponding differentiation across all types of economic activity,

- to analyze the volume of social payments and incomes of the population by municipal districts and urban districts of the Krasnodar Territory – one of the regions with highly developed agriculture,

- formulate the results of the conducted research, outline ways to solve the identified problems.

Research material and methods

The data of the Federal State Statistics Service of the Russian Federation on the amount of wages, social benefits to the population and taxable monetary incomes of the population by municipal, urban districts and municipal districts served as the source material for the work. The research applied general scientific methods of scientific cognition, statistical groupings, methods of economic analysis and data visualization.

Territorial differentiation of wages in the agricultural sector

In the analyzed period from 2016 to 2023, an increase in the average monthly nominal wages of agricultural workers was noted in all federal districts of Russia without exception (Figure 1).

In 2017-2019, the highest wage level in the industry was in the Far Eastern Federal District, and from 2020 to 2023 – in the Central Federal District. The Volga, Siberian and North Caucasian Federal districts are distinguished by low wages in the agricultural sector.

Figure 1 – Average monthly wage in agriculture in the federal districts of the Russian Federation, RUB.

Scientists from Kursk and Oryol came to the conclusion that in the regions of the Central Federal District, "the increase in the level of wages actually does not depend on both the overall level of economic development of the regions, determined by the size of GRP per capita, and the degree of agricultural specialization, determined by the volume of agricultural production, and is largely formed by the influence of the cost of living and the price level" [11], as well as labor market conditions.

The wage level in the agricultural sector of the Volga Federal District in the analyzed period was 82.8-90 % from the national average, and on average for 2016-2023 – 15.3% lower than the national average (Figure 2).

Figure 2 – The ratio of the average monthly salary of agricultural workers in the federal District to the average monthly salary of agricultural workers in the Russian Federation, %

In the Far Eastern, Central and Northwestern districts, the wages of rural workers during this period were higher than the average by 19.7%, 16.4% and 14.1%, respectively. The maximum deviation from the average level occurred in 2017 in the Far Eastern Federal District, when wages were 29.3% higher than the average level in the industry in the country.

An analysis of the subjects of the Russian Federation revealed that the lowest wage in the industry in 2023 was in the Republic of Tyva – 16293 rubles (34.3% of the average), and the highest in the Sakhalin Region – 87062 rubles (181.3% of the average), the national average was 47561 rubles.

Regional differences in the level of remuneration of agricultural workers are due to both the territorial division of labor and the established specialization of commodity producers, the prices and cost of products and goods necessary for the reproduction of labor, and regional levels of the subsistence minimum.

Our research confirmed the conclusions of E. V. Rodionova about "the need to conduct research on regional wage differentiation in agriculture, taking into account the use of regional coefficients and northern allowances to find effective solutions to reduce regional wage inequality in agriculture" [5].

Gender differentiation of wages in agriculture

It is of interest to consider the differences in the level of remuneration of male and female labor in the agricultural sector, as well as to compare this differentiation with the existing differences in the economy as a whole (Table 1).

Table 1 – Characteristics of the average wages of men and women according to sample surveys for October

Indicator

2017

2019

2021

2023

Total by the surveyed types of economic activity

Salary, rub.:

men

45557

52533

67056

87757

women

32658

37872

48594

61113

The ratio of men's wages to women's wages, times

1,395

1,387

1,380

1,436

The chain rate of salary growth:

men

1,000

1,153

1,276

1,309

women

1,000

1,160

1,283

1,258

Basic salary growth rates:

men

1,000

1,153

1,472

1,926

women

1,000

1,160

1,488

1,871

Agriculture, forestry, hunting, fishing and fish farming

Salary, rub.:

men

30516

37704

47673

64023

women

25355

31120

39273

52013

The ratio of men's wages to women's wages, times

1,204

1,212

1,214

1,231

The chain rate of salary growth:

men

1,000

1,236

1,264

1,343

women

1,000

1,227

1,262

1,324

Basic salary growth rates:

men

1,000

1,236

1,562

2,098

women

1,000

1,227

1,549

2,051

Note: the grouping was compiled by the author according to the data of the Federal State Statistics Service https://rosstat.gov.ru/

The analysis of the results of sample surveys of gender differentiation of wages conducted by state statistical agencies with a frequency of two years for the month of October indicates a faster growth in wages for women compared to men in the period from 2017 to 2021 in the economy of the Russian Federation as a whole. At the same time, in agriculture, on the contrary, the growth rates of women's wages were lower than men's. In 2023, compared to 2021, there was a more significant increase in men's wages both in the economy as a whole and in the agricultural sector in comparison with women's wages. Moreover, the chain indices of growth rates in this period are the most significant for the period under review.

It should also be noted that throughout the analyzed period of time, the ratio of men's wages to women's wages in agriculture was in the range from 1,204 to 1,231 times, and in the economy as a whole – from 1,380 to 1,436 times, that is, gender differentiation in the agricultural sector is present, but to a less pronounced extent than in the in many other industries and is not as significant as the average for the economy of our country.

Differentiation of monetary incomes of the population by municipal and urban districts of the Krasnodar Territory

The dynamics of social benefits and taxable monetary incomes of the population as a whole in the Russian Federation for 2010-2020 is considered in the article [12]. We have analyzed the volume of social benefits and taxable monetary incomes of the population by municipal districts (urban districts) of the Krasnodar Territory for 2022. This indicator is a simplified analogue of the amount of monetary income of the population by municipal districts and urban districts, calculated in accordance with the temporary procedure based on information from tax authorities on the personal income tax base of individuals and individual entrepreneurs, pension authorities on benefits and pensions paid, as well as information from executive authorities on unemployment benefits paid, social support measures and other types of targeted social assistance to the population. The value under consideration is somewhat at odds with the amount of monetary income of the population, which is taken into account according to a more complete range of indicators in accordance with the current methodology. The source of information for this purpose was the information published on the official website of the Federal State Statistics Service.

The hypothesis was put forward, tested and partially confirmed that the amounts of income and social benefits per inhabitant depend on the number of residents of municipal districts and urban districts. The number of residents by districts and cities of the region is determined by dividing the absolute amounts of income and payments by their amount per inhabitant. Next, ranked rows of districts and urban districts by population were constructed, their groupings were carried out and income and payment indicators per 1 resident per month were calculated separately by municipal districts (Table 2) and urban districts (Table 3).

Table 2 – Social benefits and taxable monetary incomes of the population of the municipal districts of the Krasnodar Territory, 2022

Groups of municipal districts by population, thousand people.

Average

the population in the group, people.

Taxable monetary income of individuals and individual entrepreneurs per 1 resident per month, RUB.

Social and other payments per 1 resident per month, RUB.

Social benefits and taxable monetary income of the population on average per 1 inhabitant per month, RUB.

up to 100

62600

17165

8998

26163

100 or more

118333

19869

9032

28900

Total and

on average

83688

18612

9016

27628

Note: the grouping was compiled by the author according to the data of the Federal State Statistics Service https://rosstat.gov.ru/

The municipal districts of Kuban differ significantly in terms of population, the range of variation in the number of inhabitants is over 118 thousand people: less than 30 thousand people live in the Beloglinsky municipal district, and over 148 thousand people live in the Dinsky district. Municipalities were considered differentially: one group included entities with a population of up to 100 thousand people, the other – over this value.

In the first group, cash income was 13.6% lower than in the second. This difference can be explained by the wider employment opportunities in relatively large municipalities. It is known that many villagers, living in remote villages and farms, work in district centers, travel tens of kilometers to and from their place of work every day. In addition, it is noteworthy that the first group includes municipalities in the northeastern steppe part of the region, where the population density is significantly lower: in Beloglinsky, Krylovsky, Shcherbinovsky, Starominsky, Novopokrovsky and other districts of the Kuban.

The second group included the municipalities of Dinsky, Yeisk, Crimean, Slavyansky, Temryuksky, Tuapse, Seversky, Kavkazsky, Tikhoretsky, Belorechensky, Timashevsky, Ust-Labinsky, Krasnoarmeysky, Kurganinsky districts. It is not difficult to notice that almost all of them differ either by a slight distance from the regional center and are actually part of the agglomeration of Krasnodar (like Dinskoy and Seversky municipalities), or include the cities of Yeysk, Krymsk, Slavyansk-on-Kuban, Tikhoretsk, Belorechensk, Timashevsk, Ust-Labinsk. Accordingly, the activities of the population living here are connected not only with agriculture, where, as is known, the wage level is lower than in many other industries. The amounts of social and other payments per inhabitant in the first and second groups of municipal districts are almost the same – they differ by less than one percent.

Let's consider the differences in the prevailing levels of monetary income of the population in urban areas – by urban districts of Kuban (Table 3).

Table 3 – Social benefits and taxable monetary incomes of the population of urban districts of the Krasnodar Territory, 2022

Groups of urban districts by population, thousand people.

Average

the population in the group, people.

Taxable monetary income of individuals and individual entrepreneurs per 1 resident per month, RUB.

Social and other payments per 1 resident per month, RUB.

Social benefits and taxable monetary income of the population on average per 1 inhabitant per month, RUB.

up to 100

66957

19826

9639

29465

from 100 to 300

175329

25104

9118

34222

from 300 to 500

341635

29300

8295

37596

500 or more

890580

46562

8941

55503

FT "Sirius"

13480

88922

5565

94487

Total and

on average

2729219

39819

8895

48714

Note: the grouping was compiled by the author according to the data of the Federal State Statistics Service https://rosstat.gov.ru/

When grouping urban districts by population and identifying the impact of this factor on the amount of social benefits and taxable monetary income of the population, the Federal Territory of Sirius was reflected separately, since it is significantly inferior in population to other districts – less than 13.5 thousand people live here, and in terms of taxable monetary income of individuals and individual entrepreneurs, this the territory significantly exceeds the rest of the urban districts of the region, exceeding the average by more than 2.2 times. At the same time, the amount of social and other payments per 1 resident here is only 62.6% of the average regional level of urban districts.

Conclusion. Wage differentiation is one of the factors of income inequality of the population, it affects the stratification of the population in terms of living standards. Significant differences in wages lead to income gaps among citizens and social tension in society, and a low level of differentiation, "equalization" reduces the motivation of employees, the desire for professional development and achievement of labor success.

The conducted research made it possible to note significant differences in wages in agriculture by territory and gender. The steady excess of the average monthly salary of agricultural workers in the Central and Northwestern Federal Districts by more than 10% compared with the average monthly salary of agricultural workers in the country can be explained by the presence of large megacities in the respective territories - Moscow and St. Petersburg with higher levels of labor reproduction costs and employee salaries. It has been established that in large municipalities, workers have more employment opportunities, and the income level is higher here. One of the elements of the increment of scientific knowledge obtained as a result of the work performed is the revealed relationship between the population of municipal districts and the income level in the Krasnodar Territory. A distinctive feature of gender differentiation of wages in the agricultural sector has also been established: in the agricultural sector, the growth rate of women's wages is lower than that of men, whereas the average situation in the economy is the opposite.

It is necessary to improve the remuneration system in such a way that it takes into account the contribution of each employee to the overall result, its effectiveness and industry characteristics. Studies of cyclical wage fluctuations [13], including the seasonal component, as well as the real level of wages in the regions of the country [14] and fair wages of employees of agricultural organizations [15] seem promising.

References
1. Barashov, N., Latkov, A., & Tolmachev, M. (2019). Differentiation of municipalities by the level of average monthly wages as a result of socio-economic development, Bulletin of the Saratov State Socio-economic University, 3(77), 42-46.
2. Benz D. (2022) On intraregional differentiation of the Chelyabinsk region in terms of wages, Bulletin of the Chelyabinsk State University, 6(464), 74-85.
3. Zhilin, V., Kalutskikh, G., Bondareva, G., Polskaya, A., & Shlomina, A. (2020). On the problem of differentiation of the level of wages in the regions of Russia, Bulletin of the Kursk State Agricultural Academy, 7, 145-152.
4. Kabashova, E. (2021). Methodology for assessing intraregional wage differentiation, Managerial accounting, 12-2, 384-393.
5. Rodionova, E. (2019). Regional differentiation of wages of agricultural workers in Russia, Nikon readings, 24, 69-72.
6. Burda, A., & Polusmak, V. (2020). Analysis of data on the seasonality of wages in Russia and the Krasnodar Territory, Fundamental research, 2, 15-21.
7. Madan, S. (2019). Wage Differentials Among Workers: An Empirical Analysis of the Manufacturing and Service Sectors, Indian Journal of Labour Economics, 4, 731-747.
8. Kolotyrin, K., Nayanov, A., Sidelnikova, M., & Borodastova, E. (2023). Assessment of the differentiation of the wage level of agricultural workers, Proceedings of the Kuban State Agrarian University, 108, 32-39.
9. Iosipenko, V. (2020). Regional differentiation of wages as a restraining factor in the growth of demand for food, Ostrovsky readings, 1, 165-169.
10. Reprintseva, E. V. (2019). Analysis of wage differentiation in various spheres of economic activity in the Russian Federation. Slavic Forum, 4(26), 254-260.
11. Shevyakin, A., Zyukin, D., Skripleva, E., & Yakovlev, N. (2023). Assessment of the impact of the level of socio-economic development and agrarian specialization on the level of wages in the regions of the Central Federal District, Bulletin of Eurasian Science, 6, 1-11.
12. Makhova, A., & Degtyarenko, Yu. (2023). Analysis of the dynamics of social payments and taxable monetary incomes of the population in Russia in 2010-2020, Trends in the development of science and education, 94-3, 149-153.
13. Perekarenkova, Yu. (2020). The main factors and conditions for the formation of cyclical wage fluctuations: a brief overview of conceptual provisions, Journal of Economic Theory, 1, 245-250.
14. Najafova, M. (2019). On the issue of assessing the real level of wages in the regions of the country, Economic research, 1, 3.
15. Vorotnikov, I., Nayanov, A., Sidelnikova, M., & Borodastova, E. (2022). Theoretical and methodological approaches to substantiating the indicator of fair wages for workers of agricultural organizations, Agroindustrial complex: economics, management, 12, 25-31.

First Peer Review

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The list of publisher reviewers can be found here.

The subject of the study. Based on the title, it seems possible to conclude that the article should be devoted to the study of the territorial differentiation of wages for agricultural workers and monetary incomes of the population by municipal and urban districts. The content of the article, in general, corresponds to the stated topic. The research methodology is based on data analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction. It is valuable that the author uses graphical tools that allow you to visualize the results obtained. The relevance of the study of the issues of territorial differentiation of wages for agricultural workers and monetary incomes of the population by municipal and urban districts is beyond doubt, since this is directly consistent with the national development goals of the Russian Federation and with conceptual documents on ensuring spatial development. However, it is important to note that the potential readership is interested in the problems identified by the author and ways to solve them. Scientific novelty is partially present in the material submitted for review. In particular, it is associated with the presence of an author's approach to the study of the territorial differentiation of wages for agricultural workers and monetary incomes of the population by municipal and urban districts. Suggestions for adjusting the content in order to form a full-fledged scientific novelty are presented below. Style, structure, content. The style of presentation is scientific, but the abbreviation "RF" is not accepted to be used in scientific papers. It is valuable that the author has highlighted the elements in the scientific article that allow us to reveal the chosen topic. Familiarization with the content allows you to make a number of recommendations for improvement. First, it is proposed to add the purpose and objectives of the study to the introduction. Secondly, carefully proofread the text for typos, including in graphic objects. For example, in table 3 there is the following text: "Social and other payments per 1 resident per month, RUB" Thirdly, each thesis requires justification. For example, the author argues that "the wages received by employees do not always correspond to the real contribution of employees to the overall result of work, does not fully depend on the efficiency of labor and the effectiveness of work in various industries." How to solve this problem? What needs to be done for this? Bibliography. The bibliographic list consists of 13 titles. Attention is drawn to the insufficiency of studying the works of other authors, as well as the lack of English-language scientific publications. Appeal to opponents. Despite the generated list of sources, the author has not built any scientific discussion. The revision of the article on this remark will make it possible to contribute to the specific formation of scientific novelty. It is important to show what is the increase in scientific knowledge? Conclusions, the interest of the readership. Taking into account the above, we conclude that the article has been prepared on an urgent topic. The revision of the article based on the comments indicated in the text should ensure high interest of the readership.

Second Peer Review

Peer reviewers' evaluations remain confidential and are not disclosed to the public. Only external reviews, authorized for publication by the article's author(s), are made public. Typically, these final reviews are conducted after the manuscript's revision. Adhering to our double-blind review policy, the reviewer's identity is kept confidential.
The list of publisher reviewers can be found here.

Difficulties in providing human resources in the agricultural sector have been discussed for several years, and at first glance, certain measures are being taken to overcome this acute social and economic problem. However, today the majority of employees of the agro—industrial complex are representatives of the older generation, who cannot transfer their experience and knowledge to the next generation, which, in turn, can lead to major problems in ensuring the country's food security. Thus, the study of the features of territorial differentiation of remuneration of agricultural workers and monetary incomes of the population as a whole in the municipal and urban districts of the Krasnodar Territory (one of the highly developed agricultural regions), as well as in the gender context, seems to be an urgent area of research. The purpose of the study is to identify wage differences in agriculture by territory and gender. Research methods: systematic, analytical, quantitative analysis, analysis of already conducted research on the problem. The scientific novelty presented at the end of the article ("the revealed relationship between the population of municipal districts and the income level in the Krasnodar Territory. A distinctive feature of the gender differentiation of wages in the agricultural sector has also been established: in the agricultural sector, the growth rate of women's wages is lower than that of men, whereas the average situation in the economy is the opposite."), indicated correctly. The article traces the careful study of the topic under consideration, the material of the article is structured in accordance with internal logic, the narrative style is scientific, and conclusions are presented at the end of the article. The article is a continuation of the authors' research on social benefits and taxable monetary incomes of the population in municipal districts (urban districts) of the Krasnodar Territory for 2022. Only the mention of the Saratov Region at the beginning of the article is not entirely clear, then we are talking about the country as a whole, the federal districts, and the Krasnodar Territory; we consider it important to clarify this point. We also propose in the section "Differentiation of monetary incomes of the population by municipal and urban districts of the Krasnodar Territory" or in the introduction to clarify the level of development of agriculture in the Krasnodar Territory and its importance for the region and the country as a whole. It is advisable at the end of the article to additionally give recommendations on improving the remuneration system in agriculture, taking into account industry specifics, for example, to suggest possible KPIs for employees of agricultural enterprises. Maybe there are already successful cases in the Krasnodar Territory or on the territory of the Russian Federation? The list of references contains a sufficient number of sources (fifteen), but there are no references to the data of the Federal State Statistics Service, on the basis of which calculations for tables 1-3 are made. The work meets the requirements for scientific research, will receive a response from readers, and can be recommended for publication in the scientific journal Finance and Management after finalizing the submitted comments.