During 2020, it can already be confirmed with confidence that the negative socioeconomic expectations and trends of both covid-19 and the military events in Artsakh had a reliable and expected multifactorial impact on the development of employment and the labor market in the Republic of Armenia. Firstly, the economy reacted unfavorably to the two events with certain restraints, negative expectations were formed, then direct and actual impacts on socio-economic indicators were recorded. In parallel with the above expectations and statistical trends, the Government of the Republic of Armenia has implemented and is currently launching new programs of state support for employment and the labor market, some changes in the policy of program support.

Purpose:  The purpose of this article is to analyze and forecast the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the labor market of Armenia.   Theoretical framework:   The theoretical framework of the article draws upon several key concepts relevant to labor market analysis. It incorporates elements from labor economics, macroeconomics, and crisis management literature to provide a comprehensive understanding of the impact of the COVID-19.   Design/methodology/approach:  To analyze and predict the dynamics of labor market indicators, this study uses statistical analysis and modelling tools, including fundamental and technical analysis. Technical analysis involves components of the time series, such as trend, seasonality, dummy variables, cyclical components, and random components.   Findings:  The study revealed that labor market of Armenia has been severely affected by the COVID-19. The government's implementation of restrictions aimed at containing the spread of the virus has led to significant job losses. The existing labor market policies and support programs in place before the pandemic proved inadequate in addressing the challenges posed by the crisis.   Research, Practical & Social implications: The article offers empirical evidence and forecasting insights that can deepen understanding of the consequences of the pandemic on employment, sectoral dynamics, and labor market resilience. It provides policymakers with valuable insights into the specific challenges faced by the labor market due to the pandemic.   Originality/value:  Although there are analyses of how COVID-19 shocked the labor markets, the significance of this research is emphasized by its comparative analysis of the labor markets of countries on various levels of development.

In a market economy, the setting of a minimum wage is one of the main instruments of state regulation of wages. When determining the cost of labor, this makes it possible, in accordance with the procedure established by law, to limit the possible arbitrariness of the employer. The setting of a minimum wage has very important economic consequences, they are: an effective means of eliminating the exploitation of labor, increasing the purchasing power of the population, strengthening economic stability, forming a fair wage system and overcoming unfair competition. This paper examines and presents the mechanisms for setting the minimum wage in a number of developed countries of the world, a comparative analysis with such developing and transitional countries as China, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Belarus, Georgia and Armenia. The conducted research made it possible to identify changes that have occurred in previously applied and currently used approaches to setting the minimum wage, to analyze the compliance of labor legislation requirements between the minimum wage and the living wage.

Due to the global financial and economic crisis that began in 2008, the Armenian economy found itself in a period of deep decline and, naturally, as expected, both domestic and foreign investment fell sharply. In the post-crisis years, as the economy gradually began to emerge from the crisis and gradually recover from the positive dynamics of macroeconomic indicators, however, no significant increase in investment flows was recorded; the investment market is still characterized by low activity.

Issues in the field of employment basically predetermine both the current trends in the economic development of any country and long-term expectations. Therefore, the analysis of employment indicators and their qualitative and quantitative assessment form sufficient practical grounds for an objective and scientific solution to the problems of economic activity of the population. In this article, the indicators characterizing the employment market of the territorial units of the Republic of Armenia, including the city of Yerevan, were analyzed, using econometric models. And the relationship and interaction between macroeconomic indicators and employment indicators were evaluated. The results of the analysis show that, according to territorial units, both employment indicators and other macroeconomic indicators in Armenia are highly polarized, and positive trends in economic development are manifested mainly in Yerevan and Syunik regions. The results of econometric models "economic growth - reduction of unemployment", in turn, reveal the gap between the capital and the regions in terms of reducing unemployment.