Public management of human capital development in the agricultural sector in the context of structural and technological transformation: mechanisms, tools and performance assessment

<jats:p>The article examines patterns in the formation, utilization, reproduction and public management of human capital in the agricultural sector under structural and technological transformation. Rosstat data for 2015–2025 are used to analyse employment and hours worked, wages and labour productivity, the age and educational structure of workers, informal employment, investment, energy intensity and the diffusion of digital technologies. The study finds that agricultural modernisation is predominantly labour-saving: declining employment and labour input coexist with higher productivity, wages and technological equipment. The analysis reveals workforce ageing, a low proportion of workers with higher education, extensive informal employment and a mismatch between growing expenditure on digital technologies and spending on staff training. It is argued that sustainable reproduction of human capital requires the coordination of agricultural, employment, education and spatial policies, continuous learning, employment formalisation and improved conditions for retaining specialists in rural areas</jats:p>