The purpose of the paper is to identify contradictions in the social and economic field in the process of achieving social justice and economic efficiency. Methodology. Methods of induction and deduction are used to determine the causal relationships; a systematic approach is applied to study research objects; abstract and logical methods of analysis, comparison and generalization allowed us to characterize the existing level of social injustice peculiar to the Ukrainian labour market. The results of the study are identified: manifestations of social injustice in Ukraine related to gender inequality in wages and different employment opportunities, income disparities in various sectors and regions, an increase in the gap between the income of rich and poor people, inconsistency between compensations for adverse working conditions and necessary expenses for labour rehabilitation, legal insecurity in informal, incomplete, and flexible forms of employment. Conclusions are made about their influence on the general situation on the labour market. Practical implications. To eliminate social inequality and injustice, ensure observance of labour rights and privileges, and create high social standards it is recommended to develop youth entrepreneurship programs; to provide free legal and informational support at the stage of opening own businesses and preferential lending and taxation in order to minimize youth unemployment; to develop a social unified agreement binding upon the execution of any work or provision of services to protect all participants in the social dialogue of the flexible and informal labour markets; to develop gender-sensitive personnel policies at all enterprises and organizations, to eliminate pay disparities, to develop state programs of promoting gender equality among legislators and senior officials to achieve gender equality; to attract the unemployed and economically inactive population for the growth of the labour potential of the country, which requires providing decent living conditions and remuneration to internally displaced persons, necessary working space for people with disabilities, creating a system of quality social care services for the elderly, sick and children with decent conditions and affordable services to people who receive social benefits in order to release the able-bodied population engaged in caring for relatives. Value/originality. The value of the research is the established facts of violations of human dignity and social injustice on the modern labour market and suggested recommendations for the elimination or minimization of them.

In the situation of growing global problems and dangers of anthropo-technological, medical-epidemiological, economic, environmental, demographic nature, the demand for identifying transformational changes in global and national labour markets is relevant. The fourth industrial revolution, the threats of the COVID-19 pandemic, the transition to Society 5.0 (Super Smart Society or Society 5.0) are the challenges that change the nature of the world of work, the man of labour, in every country and in humanity as a whole. They create new dangers, are accompanied by unpredictable consequences, but at the same time, they open new opportunities. Therefore, these processes require in-depth research. The purpose of the article is to study transformations on the global and national labour markets caused by the complex impact of digitalization processes and the COVID-19 pandemic. The theoretical and methodological basis of the study combines modern concepts of sustainable development, decent work, social risk and digital economy. Emphasis is placed on the importance to ensure the complementarity of sustainable, labour and digital development. The authors put forward and confirmed the hypothesis that today the transformations in the labour and employment markets are due to the complex influence of modern megatrends, first of all – the COVID-19 pandemic and the digitalization of the economy and society. In the present situation, the COVID-19 pandemic can be a trigger (accelerator) of the digitalization process. The results of the study show that the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine restrictions stimulated the growth of demand for digital technologies to meet the communication, professional, consumer and economic needs of the people, contributed to the spread of new non-standard forms of employment using information and communication technologies. The authors present a system of transformational changes in the social and labour sphere in terms of digital and sustainable development; also, they propose key imperatives, priorities of strategic and tactical level to ensure the stabilization and balance of the labour market and employment in Ukraine.

The full-scale military aggression against Ukraine led to a massive disruption of value chains, a reduction of jobs, rising unemployment and labor emigration. Legislative initiatives to counteract the socio-economic consequences of the war are insufficiently effective. The purpose of the article is to evaluate the changes in labor and tax legislation during the martial law and to determine the prospects for its improvement. It was found that changes in labor legislation in Ukraine are based on the ideology of neoliberalism, mainly reflect the interests of employers and significantly limit the rights of employees. This increases the risks of the destruction of established institutions of social and labor relations, the losses from which, by analogy with the Syrian conflict, may exceed the losses from the destruction of physical capital. Directions for improving the legislation are proposed, special attention is paid to the rules on the suspension of the employment contract. It is emphasized the need to find a new format of interaction between the state and institutions of the labor sphere, appropriate adaptation of social and labor relations, using the possibilities of digitalization. The impact of changes in tax legislation on employment is analyzed. It was established that the policy of supporting the economy, the key instrument of which is tax benefits, does not sufficiently contribute to the preservation of employment. Based on the study of the international experience of combating economic shocks, a vision of a policy to support the economy is proposed, which should combine measures to preserve jobs, benefits for subjects of economic activity, and liquidity support. The international experience of implementing job preservation schemes, which in EU countries have become one of the main tools for business support during the COVID-19 pandemic, is considered. Conclusions about the relevance of researching the possibilities of their use in Ukraine with the involvement of EU funds were made. Appropriate proposals for authorities have been formulated.

A general assessment of the state of small business, the business environment, unfavorable conditions and opportunities for its development has been carried out. The analysis of the decrease in the rating of ease of doing business in international comparisons is presented. The features of the state and prospects of Ukraine in the Eastern Partnership are revealed in the context of the policy of supporting small and medium-sized businesses. The directions of the European Union’s financial assistance to Ukrainian entrepreneurship are revealed. Attention is focused on strengthening European aid during the COVID-19 pandemic. The directions of activities created within the framework of assistance from the European Union – the Office for the Development of Small and Medium Enterprises, the Office for the Promotion of Ukraine’s Exports, the Ukrainian Foundation for Standards, and the Office for Effective Regulation are disclosed. The possibilities of presenting Ukrainian goods and services, which are unique and competitive, to foreign markets are revealed. The need for the development of certain types of creative industries with an emphasis on specialized activities in the field of design has been substantiated. In the list of barriers to implementation, the lack of an industrial design ecosystem is put in the first place. It is proposed to include creative formations in regional development strategies through public-private partnerships. The essence and content of directions and measures of state policy of Ukraine to support entrepreneurship, which have legal regulation, are disclosed. State support for certain industries and spheres of activity included assistance in case of partial unemployment, credit holidays, tax preferences, cheaper loans, financial support for agribusiness, development of the National online platform “Action. Business”. The directions of state support by target groups have been systematized. It is proposed to use such levers and mechanisms that will strengthen the state anti-pandemic policy.