Situation in the Industrial Sector of the Region's Economy in 2016
Currently, the industrial sector of the economy in the majority of regions does not have sufficient resilience to modern challenges and reacts sharply to the high growth of prices for purchased products and a reduced consumer demand for manufactured goods. In this regard, the authorities should make management decisions aimed to ensure sustainable development of the industry and based on the results of objective systems analysis. One of its important components is the direct work with the business environment. The present article focuses on the results of a survey of managers of industrial enterprises of the Vologda Oblast. The purpose of the study is to determine the state of the industry as one of the key sectors of the regional economy. Special attention is paid to the nuances of investment and innovative development, and improvement of the quality of labor potential. The object of the research is industrial enterprises of the Vologda Oblast; the subject of the research is the results of their financial and economic performance. The information base consists of the data of the questionnaire surveys of managers of industrial enterprises of the Vologda Oblast. Scientific novelty of the research consists in the fact that it identifies problems constraining the development of the industrial sector in the region with the help of objective information and analytical database. The polls are systemic in nature and they are conducted by Vologda Research Center of RAS since 1993 for the purpose of identifying trends and making short-term forecasts of development of the industry in the region. The sample size in 2017 amounted to 220 industrial enterprises, which are major players in their respective industries within the industrial complex of the Vologda Oblast. The number of organizations that participated in the research amounted to 63. The answers allowed us to conclude that the region's industry currently has a lack of the investment component of growth and low innovation activity of enterprises, while the situation with the workforce is at an acceptable level, but the difficulties in attracting technical workers, skilled and unskilled workers are still critical. The findings and suggestions made as a result of the research can be used by the authorities for the improvement of forms, methods and instruments in managing the development of the region.