Employment and income of the rural population in the human capital reproduction system of the agricultural sector: disparities and regulatory mechanisms

<jats:p>The article examines the relationship between employment and income of the rural population and the reproduction of human capital in the agricultural sector. The purpose of the study is to identify territorial, sectoral, and income-consumption disparities and to substantiate a mechanism for their regulation. The information base consists of Rosstat statistical publications. The study applies dynamic, comparative, structural, and ratio analysis, as well as structural-logical modelling. It was found that in 2017–2025 the rural labour force decreased by 2.4%, while employment increased by 2.3% and the number of unemployed persons fell by 57.0%. In 2025, the rural unemployment rate remained almost twice as high as the urban rate. In the agricultural sector, employment declined by 6.5% and hours worked by 11.2% in 2020–2024, whereas nominal wages increased by 92.7% but reached only 67.2% of the national average. In 2023, the disposable resources of rural households amounted to 68.6% of the urban level, and expenditure on services to 49.1%. A multilevel regulatory mechanism is proposed, combining employment diversification, higher returns to and quality of labour, competence and social infrastructure development, household support, and systematic monitoring of reproduction disparities</jats:p>