The modern information society is marked by the predominant role of the knowledge-based economy, which is based on the synergy of intellectual and creative assets, new ideas and concepts, knowledge, and innovative discoveries. Simultaneously, emerging trends in sustainable growth are primarily manifested in the creative economy. Concurrently, the development of the information society in the context of the digital revolution, being the driver of the growth of the modern economic system, creates specific risks of social inequality due to the presence of digital parity. This article fills the gap by highlighting the significance of the potential for participation of youth and older people in the creative sector in the context of overcoming the risks of social exclusion in the context of the development of the information society. The hypotheses posed in the study were confirmed based on the use of economic and mathematical modeling. The information transformation of society with the strengthening of factors for the development of the creative economy creates new opportunities and new solidarities for sustainable development, making it possible to mitigate the risks of social exclusion of young people and older people.

Investments form the basis for high-quality economic growth by ensuring renewal of production capacities and improvement of technologies and processes, thereby increasing labor productivity. Investment research is key to understanding its impact on the country’s economic advancement and more effective government policymaking to stimulate investment activity. The purpose of this paper is to study the relationship between fixed capital and R&D investments and labor productivity growth, as well as to determine the optimal level of these investments in determining the greatest effect on labor productivity growth. We use a regression model and the least squares method to empirically analyze data for seven countries for the period between 1997 and 2022. We calculate estimated values using SPSS and Python. The results show a certain impact of fixed assets and R&D investments on labor productivity growth. However, the payoff varies across the countries under study. Furthermore, despite its relatively small volumes, investment in R&D brings a greater effect on productivity growth than investment in fixed capital. With other factors remaining constant, the calculated optimums for investments in fixed assets and R&D show maximum points of growth in labor productivity.

The status of a single-parent family and the upbringing of a child with a disability generate social risks in most countries of the world. The article is aimed at identifying significant factors that determine the limitations of the human capital development possibilities in a single-parent family with disabled children in Kazakhstan. The authors applied the method of sociological survey of respondents in five regions of Kazakhstan. The interview is based on the methodology of international research, based on the allocation of four types of restrictions: direct costs per child, indirect losses of the household, assessment of the opportunity for the parent to find employment, and maintaining of his health. The results of the survey were processed by the method of structural modeling using the PLS-PM model, which includes four dependent variables. Single-parent families estimate the importance of benefits for a direct child costs four times higher than full families since a third of these families live only on transfers. Care allowances are considered by the parent in terms of replacing lost income, but the amount of the benefit is not related to the amount of care for the child. A parent in a single-parent family, more often than in a full one, connects his estimated long-term costs for the child’s future (vocational education) with indirect losses of the family. A statistically significant negative relationship between the available services (public or state-subsidized) for the parent in the field of physiological/ psychological health and his ability to maintain his health was revealed.

This article examines the impact of R&D expenditures on capital investment and economic growth in Kazakhstan. R&D spending plays a crucial role in the development of new technologies, the improvement of existing products and processes, and stimulates the advancement of science and human capital. Moreover, active R&D financing is often accompanied by investments in fixed capital, including equipment, infrastructure, production facilities, and more, which suggests a potential relationship between the two types of investment. The study aims to assess how R&D expenditures influence capital investment and GDP growth, taking into account potential time-lag effects. Using a VAR framework estimated in first differences, the study focuses on short-term dynamics and predictive relationships among changes in the variables. Stationarity was tested using the Augmented Dickey–Fuller (ADF) test, and temporal predictability was assessed via the Granger causality test. The study takes into account that R&D expenditures may affect capital investment with a certain time lag, as capital investment can be directed toward the implementation of new technologies and innovations, which are the outcomes of R&D activities. The results of the VAR model show that changes in R&D expenditures, although they do not have a statistically significant direct effect on changes in capital investment, have a positive impact on changes in GDP growth rates with a one-period lag. In turn, Granger causality tests confirm a unidirectional causal relationship running from changes in GDP growth rates to changes in R&D expenditures. Overall, the results highlight the complexity and time-lag dependence of the interaction between innovation, investment, and growth in Kazakhstan. Key words: R&D expenditures, capital investment, economic growth, VAR model.

This research analyzes “educational” factors influencing the human capital of a labor collective from Karaganda Metallurgical Plant from the perspective of the enterprise’s potential qualitative development. The purpose of this article is to consider the importance of educational factors in understanding the concept of “human capital” by employees of the enterprise. An additional goal is the description of various factors, influencing satisfaction with the educational component. The authors tested the following hypothesis: the factor of education directly affects employees’ satisfaction with the level of human capital development at the enterprise. The research results are based on a personnel survey about level of educational satisfaction, its quality and its accessibility. The main analysis tool to verify the stated hypothesis was structural modeling in the Smart PLS. The analysis of the research results revealed dissatisfaction from a significant portion of the respondents with the approaches to vocational education established at the enterprise, despite the fact that a high importance of the educational aspect in human capital formation was confirmed by the respondents during the hypothesis testing procedure for same survey’s results. The identified problems were explained by a discrepancy between the manufacturing tasks and the skills and knowledge acquired by the respondents. This research has the potential for development within the framework of company policy analysis in the field of education.

Phenomenon of employment transformation in the modern economy is the subject of active discussions. Identification of factors influencing its development and the construction of a model of «new» (non-standard) employment are particularly topical. Based on the results of previous studies, we have identified both personal (human capital, education) and external factors (digitalization, social protection), put them forward and tested hypotheses about their impact on non-standard employment. We have constructed a structural model that reflects both the factors affecting non-standard employment, and the socio-economic parameters of society affected by non-standard employment (income and social inequality). We have assessed reliability and internal consistency of the model as well. Based on the results obtained, we have determined the degree of studied factors’ influence on non-standard employment in Kazakhstan. For the research, we used methods of online polling, modeling using structural equations (SEM) of SmartPLS software. Based on the results of the PLS analysis, we have identified two main issues of non-standard employment in Kazakhstan: a low level of social protection and inability to accumulate human capital of employees. Obtained determination coefficients (0.8, 0.5, and 0.58) indicate that the unstable nature of non-standard employment (instability, low wages) leads to an increase in poverty and social inequality. We have proposed measures to regulate these issues by improving legislation on social insurance for non-standardly employed citizens, and taking active measures to promote employment, including a state employment program.