THEORETICAL AND METHODOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF THE TRANSFORMATION OF LABOR MOTIVATION OF GENERATION Z IN THE CONTEXT OF "EXISTENTIAL"

Abstract

The relevance of the study is due to the growing gap between traditional personnel management systems formed in the industrial era and the value-motivational characteristics of Generation Z entering the labor market during the transition to a technological sovereignty economy. The purpose of the article is to theoretically substantiate and empirically verify the influence of the phenomenon of "existential abundance" on the transformation of labor values of "digital natives". The methodological basis is a theoretical synthesis of generational concepts (W. Strauss, N. Howe, J. Twenge, V.V. Radaev) and classical theories of motivation (A. Maslow, D. McClelland, F. Herzberg, V. Vroom) with their subsequent adaptation to the new social reality. The empirical part is based on the results of a survey of 10th grade students in Tomsk and ZATO Seversk (N=126). The article introduces and operationalizes the concept of " resource abundance" (informational, material, existential, communicative) as a system-forming factor in the formation of Zoomers' labor consciousness. It is shown that classical theories of motivation retain their explanatory potential but require conceptual rethinking: basic needs according to Maslow act as a "hygienic background"; the need for achievement according to McClelland dominates the need for power; according to Herzberg, the true motivators are interest and development, not salary; according to Vroom, transparency of all links is critically important. Based on a critical analysis of the EKOPSI study (2025), the thesis is substantiated that Generation Z acts not as a bearer of unique values, but as a "catalyst" and "sensor" of profound changes in labor consciousness caused by the transformation of the socio-economic context. It has been empirically confirmed that despite the declared priority of salary (4.6-4.7 points), the true motivators are autonomy (4.2-4.3 points) and meaningful work (4.0-4.1 points). The scientific novelty lies in the substantiation of the model of transition from the paradigm of "personnel management" to the paradigm of "managing the self-realization environment" (HR 4.0), integrating the challenges of "existential abundance" and the deep needs of Generation Z. The practical significance consists in the formation of principles for transforming HR strategies for high-tech enterprises in the region.